In a Dark Place by Michael Keshigian

The words had emanated from a place
far within, a place unbeknownst
where thoughts seldom gathered,
where light never shined
beyond the trap door,
housing sensations embedded
with emotions unexplained,
where the upheaval of angst
or the solitude of loneliness
silently screamed at the moon’s blank face
when escape into the elements
offered no consolation,
where the wind only spoke
of malfeasance or sources of sorrow
even as a glimmer of relief
sparkled from the sky,
that rescue rope of hope
which linked the stars,
appearing, though failing to save him
while despair continued
and the slide toward black,
that funeral home of deep space,
surrounded him like demons,
smelling of burnt flesh in velvet garb,
releasing a poison into the sack of air
which stung his eyes,
gagged his throat
while hours passed and memories
were ripped from the pages
of his decayed perspective,
recollections aflame, the hellish barbecue
adjusted its resonance to fit the occasion,
and he would stare blankly,
stunned at his contrived reality.

Michael Keshigian’s recent poems have appeared in Muddy River Review, Edison Literary Review, Studio One, Boston Literary Magazine, and Tipton Poetry Journal. He has been published in numerous national and international journals and has appeared as feature writer in twenty publications with 7 Pushcart Prize and 2 Best Of The Net nominations. (michaelkeshigian.com)