Starless, endless night.
Dreams of thickets filled with crows;
morning shines black jewels.
Paisley etched headaches
scarred by tree dreamed slashes;
shadow shards define day.
New percussive beats,
metal clanks between heartbeats;
ragged breaths paint fears.
Dark stillness pervades.
A portentous quiet crawls.
Time runs down the trees.
Horrors stick to buildings;
the crossroads speak travesties.
The earth remembers.
Injustice rustles
sheets of anonymity,
shreds to expose them.
As gloom-filled sorrows
weep, blithe memories of light
stream through forest boughs.
Day breaks like eggshells.
Blue jays shatter silent leaves;
clouds re-ink rainbows.
Crows now fly away,
I begin to breathe once more.
Fog lifts; we emerge.
© Gay Reiser Cannon * 7.30.2015. All Rights Reserved
Beachanny's Texas 
Such a hellish feverish nightmare poetic; my goodness. It out-Poes Poe. I really enjoyed it though it scared me a bit. I liked the lines /Day breaks like eggshells/blue jays shatter silent leaves/clouds re-ink rainbows/. Magnificent word smithing.
Thank You Glenn. First thing I’ve written in a long time. Your comments are much appreciated.
Sinister sound to this. Some very original images that really do sound like they’ve been taken straight out of a nightmare or the subconscious:
Paisley etched headaches
scarred by tree dreamed slashes;
shadow shards define day.
Thankyou Marina..it grew out of an idea for haiku ideas to develop into a fully explored poem.
Ah, you have really captured the dead of night in this poem, Gay. As Marina said, it is indeed a bit sinister…
Yes..it is about surviving oppression. Thank you.
You wrote a very atmospheric poem, Gay. The images convey heaviness and nightmare so that we too feel relieved when those crows fly away.
Thanks.
Lots of fearsome words and images, I could feel them, Gay! I especially felt this passage:
Horrors stick to buildings;
the crossroads speak travesties.
The earth remembers.
Sounds more like a nightmare than a dream. Peace, Linda
Dark!
Always love the way you use language! Could almost feel it as well as see it.
I like the ending turn from shadows & gloom-filled sorrow, to finally emerging ~ Really like the sharp verses here:
Day breaks like eggshells.
Blue jays shatter silent leaves;
clouds re-ink rainbows.
Hey Gay, can you please email me as I have something to ask you. Thanks ~
I will try tomorrow. Traveling with phone and tablet. Try sending me something at gaycannon@yahoo.com. I can reply easier than from mme.canongate@gmail. Ican send back toyr best email from my phone.
great writing.
Oh wow, I just love this… Even beyond the fact that I have a “thing” for crows… This is fabulous writing. My new favorite of yours.
What a wonderful Gothic atmosphere… the nightmare fading into day.. really sinister, Gay.. so nice to see you here again..
Powerful write here, Gay – especially liked:
“Injustice rustles
sheets of anonymity,
shreds to expose them.” Terrific stuff… With Best Wishes Scott http://www.scotthastie.com
Wondrous…’gloom-filled sorrows / weep,’ – somehow soothing…
Poe did it with ravens, you have done it with crows. A dark poem, but still emerging from the deep night, the nightmares. Those nightmares often seem akin to this. And when one awakens, they still seem to cling. Most excellent write with incredible images. Superb.
Gorgeous haiku, Gay! Love the paisley etched headaches; hard to choose favorite line out of all of these.
Wow. So much here. I love clouds re-inking rainbows and emerging at the end!
Whoa.. such a brilliant sketch of nightmarish events.
Well penned.
A wise man once tells me the brain goes
wacky when it thinks there is no escape
as Catch 22 comes.. oh to master
that device.. of human
being.. is to
live free..
with or without
the permission of others..
but an escape comes first..
most often before free can even
be possible.. for wings that must
earn their way to free humanity..:)
A lot of darkness and then you show the redemption too
“the crossroads speak travesties.
The earth remembers.”
I love this.
Has that kind of deep and dark feel. Very effectively described Gay!
Hank
I like the dark and powerful energy in your poem. It builds and then exhales with relief.
My favourite lines …”time runs down the trees” …..”horrors stick to buildings”