The buildings are terrified
they weep all the time
the trees droop in sadness
the Earth is devastated
there is such bitterness
the children screech
till they choke and fall
on the ground
and we are frozen
in shock
wondering
what all this is
such horror
we have never seen
and then we cannot
see anything
in the blackness
we have no sensation
and instantly our breath
our lives are gone.
and you do things
that you did not
intend to do
or intended to do
and did not
your acts are lost
to yourself
and you become
sad and alienated
and now you begin
to appreciate the sun
the moon
and you kiss
all the stars
before you sleep
and in your dreams
you weep
and in the morning
you ask yourself why
and realise you cry
because you are
sorry to die.
the children weep on and on
like the flowers
but no one pays attention
this is a mad world
the sun runs in the sky
shedding tears
inconsolable
and what can we say
for ourselves
we were wrecked
washed ashore
survivors of some bad dream
and now there is nothing
but death that will satisfy us
and we wait for it.
over the ground
all over the planet there is blood
and everyone is screaming
and fighting and calling out
to their loved ones
and the sun burns like fire
and laughs like the devil
and we tremble and weep
as the wind shrieks angrily
and stops altogether
and now we can’t breathe
and we choke thrashing about
on the Earth to our deaths.
I float in the air
and below me
the children play
and people talk
I see the trees
waving to me
and the mountains
smiling
and I shout out
hello to them
and the wind
begins to sing
and I sway
through the breeze
pulsating with song
and it is the voice
of everyone
in the universe
and it is so beautiful
I feel the cosmos
embrace me
and we weep
tears of joy.
it has been tightened
like a screw
it has been bullied
it has been shamed
for no reason
it has been made
to weep
and I am so lost
I simply cannot
find myself
anymore
I think I am
somewhere
at the bottom
of the Earth
which I won’t
be able
to reach ever
and I feel
like a ghost
doomed
with nowhere
to go
till the end
of time.
of my mind
and start to float
while my body
feels like air
and I ask
myself
who are you
and I laugh
in happiness
as I fly
without a care
and the blackness
is so silken
so comforting
I weep
tears of joy
and I realise how
beautiful
life is
and blow it a kiss
because I know
when I die
I won’t have all this.
in my head
till I forget
myself
slowly
and I am lost
then I notice
the world
how alien it is
how indifferent
and my heart shakes
like a rattle
and I feel like a beggar
wandering
through life
and I find
that no one can see me
that people pass
through me
and then I realise
I am a ghost
and I weep
in terror
wondering
how long
I will be like this.
to my eyes
again and again
I breathe with
my mouth open
the sun shines
brightly outside
but I am in pain
my mind hurt
with scenes
of my life
from the happy past
how they
are gone forever
and the people
with them
and I cry
and cry
for something
that will never
be mine again
and these memories
keep roaming
in my head
this morning
the birds chirp
in joy outside
but inside
my house here
I weep.
and you will suffer
in this world
the moon your mother
will wipe your tears
but that won’t be enough
the universe is brutal
it will hurt you
and the sun
your father
won’t be able
to help you
you will hold
your aching belly
and weep
your wound
is really deep
and the cosmos
has turned into
a rubbish heap
onto which
you are dumped
and now you yearn
for death
you get up and run
looking for it
you shout
death death
where are you
come take my life
I have had enough.
Dominic Alapat 