Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Basement

dangerous, dank and forbidden place,
cellar separate from the house, wooden doors painted green
the trick to pancake against the house far wall unseen
five year old body like quick silver slid,
strong enough to pull a heavy rope,
slowly, slowly to lift the door,
find the stairs long and longer more
courage tip-toed down alone,
the world outside a silent drone
hands at sides still brushed a web,
a shuddered scream held inside instead
in the basement a silky place of dead things held in abandoned hope,
a wooden chest,furniture never seen, a wire dressmaking model, and
like snakes about to sliver against a leg, more mysterious coils of rope,
there was a single window high and very small that
shone a thin light stream shiver upon an opposite wall
where in a corner closet there provisions
just in case our lives to spare
soup and beans, ketchup, all such common stuff
filled with pride in courage won turned having had enough
when in the glimmering dark appeared a suspended head,and grinning teeth, bulging eyes no body neath,set feet running up back above where the door slammed shut against the dead,
for surely that was all lounged there, death among things long dead
of the basement trip and revelation not a syllable was said
until years passed and someone asked
"whatever happened to that ugly Florida trip carved coconut head?"

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