Smoke Clouds
My master's shaft of light is forbidding;
Still, I have enough sense left to keep hidden.
If he cannot find me, he will not hurt me;
my silence, a bold plea for safety.
Beneath the dank hay, prayer makes perfect sense -
what he does not know, my only defense.
His flashlight flickers while making its arc
trying to root out the truth in the dark;
The battery dies; my brain gives birth to flight;
the barn door clicks shut, a plan starts to ignite.
The lock holds his hope for my safekeeping
when he returns, I will not be sleeping.
Knowing not to wait for his light's return,
I kindle the hayloft to cause a slow burn.
Hoping the dampness slows down a fast start,
this new shaft of light warms my anxious heart.
Sure of his soon return with dog and with cane
I wait my escape from flogging's sharp pain.
Hearing both my foes and the handle’s quick jolt,
as they head for the blaze, it's my chance to bolt.
Latching the barn door, ere I make my flight,
dark clouds cover the moon, shielding its light.
Headed to unknown beginnings, I now succumb
Everything's behind me, everything's become.
Author’s Notes: last line is a reference to Tap Turns on the Water by CCS (Alexis Korner, John Cameron)
February 13, 2013
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