Out Of The Depths

In the creative clash Wit and inspiration Desperadoes of the soul Struggling Hand-to-eye, knife-to-throat Illusion and fact head-locked Aesthetics sucker-punched with Second-guessing A blur in the clutch of Tunnel vision Head pounding on closing wall Hour upon hour Day upon night Caffeine and cigarette, sweat and blood Stain the solitude Paid in sacrifice of bread and clay Hell’s black fire Char the midnight silence A gash of moon for Penance. In the end Beaten raw Exhausted on torn sheet In unmade bed, collapsed Light streaming through pulled curtain Something breathes Out of the depths, life— Emerge. (Previously published in Apollo's Lyre, Spring 2007 Issue)