Red ants march militantly through the streets Under the brutal sun a pig corpse heats and a thousand flies have made their church inside In the tower a raven stands alone in a cell A futile stay, his wings have long been broken Further along under the clear sky, upon one of many dead buildings and boarded view hotels stands a stick thin man, almost naked and dripping crimson He stands on the edge, looks across the town and begins to shout “I am The King of Whales, I do not rest, I cannot be defeated. One day I shall return to the sea and my scars and troubles will wash away.” The words fall upon his ghost audience If people heard they would only disregard them as the ramblings of a mad man On silk draped horses the guards arrive, two toothless men so fat with sin they will never be reborn again with a chance Yet they hold a speck of power so for the moment they can laugh They are only here to check upon the raven To make sure he remains mute To make sure he keeps breathing until his punishment is through The bulls storm through the town and disappear as quickly as they arrive Everything shakes The people wake, they remain in their rooms Each room contains a soul that fear stole and a body not yet wise enough to die Hope barely breathes beneath the sheets aware and already missing the safety net of dreams that promised tomorrow would be different She woke and it’s all the same The only voice brave enough to speak The stick man continues his speech He knows he’s never been silenced because they decided long ago he was insane “follow me, follow me We can return to the sea together, run away Run! or stay and remain broken” Stopping inside his mind he remembers How he used to wear a crown How he used to float above the clouds upon a whale of blue He sits He sighs and wonders when the worms will turn The raven who once sang so sweetly turns away and closes his eyes A hundred miles away the sea waits cool calm and patient to be used as a home, a stage It’s been a long time, the wait will go on all that is needed is an open mind, courage and for you to be ready The sea glistens and remains patient

Copyright © Leighton J Rees | Year Posted 2018