Bullets Of The Tongue

Bullets Of The Tongue
© Surazeus
2023 10 31

Reverberating bullets of the tongue 
untangle haunting shadows of cold streets 
where blue ghosts wander past wide open doors 
in search of lost time hidden in old books 
that reek of rotting apples in gray grass 
stolen by the boy with one crippled wing. 

That faceless shadow of my misnamed self 
who grins from unmirror of timeless fate 
calls out to me with beast voice of the wind 
so I am fooled to think the thunderstorm 
that roars at me with loud fatherly voice 
perceives my being with wrathful eye of love. 

So I hang upside down in cave of dreams 
to swim in moonlit lake of whispering words 
with potent energy of wasted wish 
through which I criticize how light reveals 
stark self-awareness of the laughing crow 
who leads me on useless search for true love. 

Young woman in black gown who smiles at me 
presents her painting on the empty wall 
of sunlight gleaming beyond nothingness 
when I reach out my warm capable hand 
from icy silence of the empty tomb 
till hot blood streams again in my stone heart. 

Dark raven of my heart with wings of fire, 
still perched in twisted oak of ancient myth 
after rise and fall of one thousand empires, 
gives me grim shadow of its crippled wings 
so I can swoop and glide over phone lines 
to measure progress of justice with death. 

Down on weed-thick shore of the River Styx 
we gather at tables with plates of fruit 
to feast and share tall tales in moon-gold glow 
in scene forged on the shield Achilles bore 
during the world war to conquer despair 
when I pour libation to the Ungod. 

The voice without a face explains to me 
justice of our war against cruel hate, 
so I stand firm on arbitrary spot 
where I vow to fight to defend this land 
won by my father in chess game with Death 
who hobbles to hot forge in mountain cave. 

If you are still beside me in this maze 
of hazy visions borne by mangled myth, 
then know that we will find Garden of Skulls 
where Ungod waits for my status report 
so I can earn reward of nameless souls 
when bombs destroy library of my home.