Tantibus II

I try to make the best of nightmares; they are not inconvenient, really, for they happen in one’s sleep. And the lingering images give me something to write about.

A shadow passes over me;

It brings a chill and stirs the calm

And raises up the phantoms of my mind

That have ‘til now resided silently,

So like the markings on my palm,

To which I keep my senses blind.

An image has disturbed the peace

That like a veil had cuddled me;

It looms and follows like a tethered storm

That strikes and thunders and will not surcease.

I voice my protest plaintively

To something that defies the norm.

This entity that just appeared

Brings up frustrations from the past,

That nag and haunt me like a pressing wind;

It has come again, as I’ve often feared.

How long will this recurrence last,

How long the night, when will it end?

How long in twilight can I run,

Or in the cushions hide my dread?

In scapes like this, I cannot shut my eyes,

For it invades me like a glaring sun;

And cold sweat gathers in my bed

Before the wakening surprise.

r.nuñez, 6/2014