Rainy Days, and the Old Red Barn
“Allen saw it first
Charlie then later
Allen chased the black raven
Charlie lived his dreams”.
Steady rain had been falling for two straight days
In dimming, muted light.
Striding out from the middle of a weeded field
The two men were very glad
To find shelter in an old, standing alone
Faded red barn.
They hurried to the large open doorway
Where the old, dirty black, ragged raven
That had led them there with its squawking
Had landed on a box just inside the door...
There, he now was still lightly squawking at them.
Wet, tired, soaked, and hungry
Saying nothing to each other
They watched as he rose on flapping wings
Up onto some higher rafters.
Quickly forgetting the raven’s presence
Giving each other a nod of relief
Both entered.
Minutes later
Finding a dry spot
They tumbled down separately, and quickly fell asleep.
___*___
“Charlie woke first
Allen woke later
Charlie chased thirst
Allen tasted ‘taters.”
Sitting up shivering... awake
That strange tune in his head
Charlie looked around
Seeing his friend still, deeply sleeping
A most terrible thirst had suddenly woke him
From his slumber.
He got to his feet in the now misty, false dawn light
Facing another raining day
With the sooner dream, foremost in thoughts…
And those words, ‘wherever had they come from?’
No where in his dreaming memory banks
Could he find any ready reference...
For there, alone he was
Being chased through a very, very hot, noon-time Sun
Needing water, any water
As it had been days since the last drink.
Humming a strange tune
Some black bird had taught him
He then remembered the ditty he had made up
Though nowhere in dreaming mind
Could he find ready reference for its creation.
Then stumbling broke that reverie
And more alert... looking ahead
Saw a small stream close by
‘Water!’… he picked up his pace.
“Charlie chased thirst
Allen woke later
Charlie’s health worst
Allen tasted ‘taters.”
___*___
Except, behind Charlie…
’It’ closed the distance.
Of this... there was no doubt
He felt the blackness closing in…
Enveloping, then a tearing blackness.
Stopping was his death.
‘Choose’.. his mind screamed
His parched tongue now swollen, unable to sound
Left any words as just thoughts...
‘Flight, or to ground... and drink’
Either way, he knew himself finished.
At least... one last taste of…
He could see it now clearly…
Living Water!
The choice was easy…
‘Mirage’ was his last thought.
___*___
“Charlie quenched thirst
Allen woke later
Charlie died first
Allen tasted ‘taters.”
Allen woke, still sleepy, yet warm
Turning off the strange tune in his head
He looked over, seeing his friend lying relaxed
Face down, hidden in some old straw and black feathers
Still, peacefully quiet... he let him sleep.
Besides, he was very hungry again
And getting up in the now, misty light of another…
Uh oh, rainy day…
He decided to search
For anything more he and his friend could eat.
He rose standing nearest the doorway.
The interior of the old barn was still quite dark
And really smelled old, and musty.
He could feel it had a strange age to it
Like his dead Grandfather’s old shed.
His memory went back.
When he had entered there, he had said
What he felt just then... “Tired, finished.”
Looking hard into the memory
He could just make out the interior silhouette
Which was looking just like, ‘It’ feeling like…
Drawing him in...
‘Snap out of it Allen’, he firmly told himself...
When one’s very hungry, what care is all of that...
Life had taught him…
At such times as this, when so hungry
Reasons and reality can stay far afield.
Besides, they had not eaten anything for what… 3 days…
Except for some ranky, old potatoes found in the box
Last night, in the dark, by the barn’s door.
___*___
“Charlie died first
Allen wakes later
Charlie’s health was worst
Allen tastes ‘taters.”
Ah, that strange song inside again
And the thought of, and taste of potatoes!
Allen scrambled back to the box
He suddenly remembered, some left.
And in his eagerness for more…
Accidentally knocked the whole box over.
The potatoes tumbling out were shriveled, moldy and dark
No light of any day would ever brighten them up.
However, along with the few remaining spuds
Out from below also spilled some rather large mushrooms
As Allen felt a sudden paralysis begin in his feet.
Suddenly his mind cleared, wiser
Knowing where now, his quiet friend really was…
And where he was soon to join.
“Charley chased thirst
Allen chased ‘taters
Charlie died first
Allen followed later.”
___*___
The two policemen looked up
Outside the door of the old Red Barn, in the ending rain.
They had found two nibbled bodies inside
As before, laying in some storage stalls.
Sometime later, seeing reason plain.
‘Has some thing to do with the air in this old place’… the youngest said
The other swore, ‘Nah, with this rain that ain’t quite the game’.
‘We keep throwing out all we find’, the inspector said...
‘If it’s them…
Then where’s the new ones coming from…
In that condition…”
He looked over at the black bird hopping on an upper railing.
“Can’t be explained”, he finished.
His partner looked at him
“Yep, I know it was the mushrooms did ‘em in
Just like the ones before.”
He stomped some muddy dirt
And black feather pieces off his boot
“How many we at now, I figure thirteen.”
___*___
As unnoticed, the ancient Raven flew away...
With something dark and moldy in it’s beak
Waiting for the next song, and It’s direction.
And then, ‘It’ again sowing its goods...
Within the next rainy days...
Rhymes for Black Fate to speak, and act.
Copyright ©
Brian Rusch
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