Friday, March 10, 2006

Sometime Monsters

They're few enough who see,
and fewer still who do not fear.

By day these sidewalks are quite ordinary.
They shine with rain, are dull with overcast
or dance with tree shadows in summer.
By night, they teem with miraculous monsters.
Chimera's snake-head hisses--
you thought it the sound of tires on pavement.
That massive maned shadow in the distance
(by day, a jowly, dozy mastiff)
sports a poisoned scorpion tail.
They're few enough who see.

Came a nightwalking stranger from the east,
who never saw the day side of any city.
He was on speaking terms with monsters,
people found him strange.
I was taking out the garbage when he passed,
paused to speak with the gargoyle across the way,
then smiled at me without fear:
"Dark glasses at this time of night?"
(You wouldn't want to see my eyes at night.
It's by day I don't wear glasses.)

I gave him directions, didn't ask his business.
They're few enough who see,
and fewer still who do not fear.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

A chilling piece, full of atmosphere. I like that closing stanza. Definitely a case for Mulder & Scully!

Keith's Ramblings said...

Creepy stuff!Great piece.

writerwoman said...

Oh, spooky! But good!

Anonymous said...

I liked the enigmatic verses at the beginning and end:

They're few enough who see,
and fewer still who do not fear.

An ominous frame and warning of the mysteries of the night.

Tumblewords: said...

Stranger(s) for sure. They're few enough who see, and fewer still who do not fear - has an incredibly fine ring...it'll stick with me for a long time!

J C said...

I fear, and I'll never take out the trash again at night...alone. That was really great!

Anonymous said...

Wonderfully creepy, and perfectly timed for the impending Halloween. I, also, like the first and last stanzas, but I particularly like the fantastically mysterious "Came a nightwalking stranger from the east, who never say the day side of any city." Oooh!

Marja said...

Scary I loved the last sentence There are few enough who see and fewer still who do not fear.

Mad Kane said...

Wow! You leave me speechless.
Mad Kane

Cassiopeia Rises said...

Although most of your readers would think, Oh it's just in time for Halloween... I sense a deeper and even more frighten meaning. Wonderful atmospheric images. A secret within a secret... Well done.

love-bd