Shadow of Emily Dickinson

Shadow of Emily Dickinson Shut in But not Shut out, Heartbreak - Tragedy from high towers Swooping down in towering tornados Descending, Ascending from foul marshes In quick sand Stalking careless footsteps; Stealth, like a storm, Lurking by the doorstep Round the corner On the highway Up the highroad Near the low road; Alone But not lonely Colleagues of long ago, My companions, Coax my muse into contemplation Far from the scheduled, frantic crowd, Erratic cacophony Blowing horns, sirens, And lonely whistles of night trains - No harmony - Wooing inner child emerge to play again, Bundled up against the frozen banshee’s breath, Sitting in the lap of time – lost and unrestrained In candied dawns and lavender midnights, Ignoring the scream of seconds to pay attention Startled by life peeping in through rosettes – Intruder with vacant eyes Calling dance with dance macabre To the dirge of who knows, when shutters close; Turned out - The fainting soul flies on clipped wings of stone restored - Not turned away Turning ‘round - Grabbing the hand of verse – friend called lyric - To the sound of remembered carousels enchantment; Freeing elfin earthbound energy; Essence escaping boundaries at a welcoming hearth Exploding From isolation’s womb. 7-30-20