June 20, 2017

Nightmare, Implanted by Tamara L. Panici

The duende came to me in a dream
I can no longer remember and

left behind a luminescent orb. 

The glazed globe still glows 
somewhere in the tendrils
of my mind like the shine from

a flickering lighthouse. Twinkle, 

twinkle, the pulsing flash lulls me
to sleep. I can no longer close my eyes
without it.

Fueled by dreams, the orb
gains lumens, almost catches fire, forces me 
to open my eyes mid-dream. 

I wonder if it’s a symbiotic curse. My body 
is useless in finding the globe—real hands
could never pick it up

and lucidity is no help. The orb is always 
worlds ahead of me,

a nightmare implanted.

The light, I fear, is a beacon
calling the duende home.






Tamara L. Panici is constantly scribbling on scraps of paper. When she is not reading or writing, she can be found eating bizarre foods or lifting heavy weights. She has work forthcoming in Fjords Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, and Abyss & Apex.

1 comment:

  1. I enjoyed your poem. Your imagery resonated with me, with its darkness and relatability as you put into artful description a sentiment that I have often felt, but had difficulty describing. I had to look up what a Duende is, but once I understood, it came together nicely. Thank you.

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