The Rescue

I didn’t mean to awaken you
But something was after me.
I was in a nightmare; alone,
Afraid, lost in the swamp of
Midnight.

A malevolent being lives
There. It’s invisible but I sense it.
I know it’s there, lurking.

It stirs in my mind’s backwater,
Always ready to rouse.
I’ve seen this creature before.
No doubt I’ll see it again.

It was not my intent to ruin
Your night’s sleep when you
Seemed so peaceful, but
I needed you to save me.

I felt like a frightened child
Until you caressed me.
The menace disappeared back
Into the quagmire when you
Arched your body into mine.

*******

The Dinnertime Tree

She brought him dinner.
A little something to
Lighten your load, she said.

Sunrise to dusk is a long
Time to be working.
The harvest won’t suffer
All that much if you
Sit down here a little bit.

Turn them horses loose.
Let em graze by the creek.

Come over here by me.

Three roasted potatoes,
Skins on.
Slab of corn bread.
Clover honey.

A gallon stone jug
Filled with sweet milk,
Beads of condensation
Running down the sides.

In noontime stillness
He finished eating.
She put away the basket.

Take a nap now
I’ll wake you soon.

Not a breath of air
In the deep shade.
Silence reigned beneath
The Dinnertime Tree.

©Copyright 2006 by Brooks Carver