Richard Schnap - Beyond the Grave / Thirst

Beyond the Grave



After he died

She kept seeing his face

Appearing before her



In the smeared window

Of a passing bus

Alone in the back



On the label of a bottle

Of imported wine

On a liquor store’s shelf



In the heart of a cloud

Passing overhead

During a gentle rain



And she felt he was trying

To tell her a secret

That only the dead know



That someday she would

Come to understand

When they were joined again









Thirst



I wake from a dream

Of the woman I loved

A thousand years ago



Whose arctic kiss

Has changed me into

A creature haunting the night



I rise from my bed

Beneath the dark sky

Feeling neither old nor young



Still wondering if

My immortal fate

Is a blessing or a curse



But now it is time

To seek out the blood

I need to stay alive



As I look in the mirror

To see once again

It reflects nothing at all













Richard Schnap is a poet, songwriter and collagist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His poems have most recently appeared locally, nationally and overseas in a variety of print and online publications.