Quietly Stalked

Silent for the moment, 
it sits waiting,
looming in the corner,
one eye gleaming.
Other occupants 
of the room cower.
The classics stifle sneezes
as their dusty pages
flutter with fear.
The Bible hugs the
lower shelf of the table,
protected by its own nonentity
and irrelevance.

The monster watches.
One small movement 
will alert it.
My impotent pen drops
and rolls to its
favorite hiding place.
My groping finger lures
the lurking beast to action.
In helpless fascination
I stare
as the creature calls 
for reinforcements.

They're coming in 
by twos and threes.
I recognize war and pestilence
as lewdness and vulgarity
quickly follow.
I try to calm the ogre
when the room becomes
crowded with rudeness,
crudeness and indecency.
Horror and fear filter in
pushed by murder and 
mayhem.

I frantically search
for old familiar friends.
Manners and kindness
have been over come
by the brutish force
of the invaders.
No longer in charge
of my own living room,
I almost succumb
to the subtle enticement
of the demon in
Pandora's box,
posing as a simple
source of entertainment.

Sanity stirs,
causing one faint flick
of my finger.
The serpent 
crawls back into his lair
to sulk and formulate
plans
for another invasion
of my
peace and quiet.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2009


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Date: 8/8/2014 11:10:00 PM
Incredible story and loved the angle you attacked this from...Congrats Joyce!
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Date: 8/8/2014 12:59:00 PM
Superb write Joyce! Congrats on great win!
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Date: 8/8/2014 10:42:00 AM
Beautifully penned,Joyce.Congratulations on your well deserved win
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Date: 8/8/2014 12:07:00 AM
VERY imaginative,my dear lady. congrats for your awesome win.
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Date: 8/7/2014 7:49:00 PM
Love this, Joyce. Great win in Charlotte's contest. Congratulations.
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Date: 8/7/2014 10:22:00 AM
You labeled this poem imagism.......which is exactly what it excels in........just simply wonderful descriptions, dear Joyce!
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Date: 8/7/2014 6:48:00 AM
Congratulations... love Linda
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Date: 8/7/2014 4:37:00 AM
joyce, this is a fantastic write from you, I had no idea this poem was yours! oh the metaphor...and "the classics stifle sneezes/as their dusty pages/flutter with fear" how did you come up with that? great stuff, unsettling...congrats on your win in my contest!
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Date: 12/22/2009 3:22:00 PM
Congratulations on being a first round survivor with two poems and the best to you in the finals . I wish you the best in your writing endeavors in 2010 whatever they may be. Love, Carol
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Date: 12/21/2009 10:53:00 PM
Dear Joyce, Congratulations on both your entries making it through the first round and best wishes on advancing to the finals. Lainie
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Date: 12/21/2009 9:13:00 AM
Congrats on your poem winning the first round of PS contest!! Very well deserved, enjoyed reading your wonderful poetry. Here’s wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! May 2010 be your best year ever! Love Light Patty
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Date: 12/21/2009 12:40:00 AM
Congrats on your first round contest success Joyce.Rgds Brian
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Date: 12/20/2009 1:23:00 PM
Dear Joyce, Congratulations on having two poems make it through to the second round of the competition. Wishing you joy and happiness in the New Year, love, Carolyn
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Date: 12/20/2009 10:49:00 AM
Many congratulations on reaching the second round with your fine poem >> James
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Date: 6/13/2009 3:44:00 AM
Smile~Yes, we must watch out for those demons of contemporaries designs...."You Are An Absolutely creative and amazing writer dear lady!!!:):)~And "You" can write so fluently and vividly within "Your" wonderful image filled creations~"I Love Your Magical Writing Joyce~Always Have~Always Shall!!!":):)~And, its been nice visiting "You" again~"With Love & Warmth To 'You & Your Loves Always,' John!!"~Bye Precious Lady ~
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Date: 6/11/2009 8:45:00 PM
Joyce, sounds like a vivid invasion of your creative writing! nice! Jim
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Date: 6/11/2009 3:15:00 PM
Veryyyyyyy Creep-ish like But Amasingly Done
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Date: 6/9/2009 5:31:00 PM
The invaders may have crawled back into their lair, but there's always another day for them to intrude on your peace and quiet. This was a compelling story with much food for thought, Joyce! Love, Carolyn
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Date: 6/8/2009 5:56:00 AM
My goodness Joyce, that is one frightening imagination. I thought it was going to be a nightmare. Wow, pretty creepy and well written. Love, Shar
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