| Whispering rain awoke me. |
| The curtains drifting slowly
|
| The hint of dusk and twilight, gray sky, daylight folding
|
| Next to a lover recovering from a hangover slumber
|
| Twisting the sheets around my legs, slipping deep in the covers
|
| Reached over, felt nothing. |
| Sat up, contemplated his leaving
|
| Called out his name and heard nothing but the sound of my breathing
|
| Feet swinging on the floor, shuffling sleepy on the slippery wood tiles
|
| Today, the hall is feeling like it’s miles to go. |
| Splash water on my face
|
| Handle business—not in that order. |
| Head to the kitchen
|
| Get a cup of java. |
| Grab the remote, flick on the coffee machine
|
| Flop in the La-Z-Boy—easy chair, sighing
|
| Feet up on the table. |
| Pressing buttons. |
| No cable. |
| Stand up
|
| Smacking the TV, throw the remote across the room and start
|
| Cursing—I'm heated. |
| Pick up the cordless phone
|
| What the fuck? |
| Dial tone’s missing and it’s fully charged
|
| Headed back in the kitchen, thinking «Maybe I blew a fuse»
|
| Try to switch on the lights and get nothing but confused
|
| Coffee still cold. |
| Open fridge. |
| Dark as hell
|
| Freezer dripping. |
| No electricity far as I can tell
|
| I’m straight bitching now, complaining out loud
|
| Throw on a sweater and slippers, thinking «I'm ‘bout to go out on a super
|
| tripping»
|
| Stepped out on my door, locked it. |
| Put the key in my pocket
|
| And took the stairs a flight, headed to his ground-floor apartment
|
| I’m must’ve knocked for five minutes, ringing bells, banging
|
| Calling, tapping, peeping through the mail slot. |
| This nigga
|
| As much rent as I’m paying, there’s always something broken
|
| I’m thinking of rent-striking when the front door blows open
|
| That’s strange. |
| All the tenants always lock it
|
| Looked over, walked up to it, closed it. |
| It just opened again
|
| I let it swing. |
| It’s strange. |
| Peeped out into the street
|
| Silence was deafening—never heard nothing quieter
|
| Except for nothing. |
| No one’s out. |
| Lights are nonexistent
|
| And I mean no sound, no silence, no laughter
|
| No crying, unhappy children. |
| No one walking
|
| No one standing. |
| No one fighting, no one driving
|
| Just water falling. |
| Just me calling out
|
| Into the deadened air. |
| Panicking, getting no response
|
| Trembling. |
| Tripping down the stoop, searching the block
|
| Kicking doors, I started running. |
| I started running
|
| As the light is leaving, silently retreating down an empty hall
|
| Ran some blocks, stopped for nothing. |
| There was nothing to stop for
|
| Throat getting raw from screaming, crying, pleading
|
| Hoping just to see something, anything moving
|
| I’m breathing like the air was made of knives, choking, falling
|
| Scraping up my knees. |
| Body shaking like rustling leaves
|
| Upchucking and dry-heaving, pushing random doors open
|
| Running down a subway station, seeing scattered cars and choking as
|
| Purses and bags laying, drinks and trinkets scattered
|
| No sign of blood splattered. |
| What the fuck happened?
|
| There’s no sign of the struggle. |
| Just vanished—everyone
|
| Please, God. |
| Let me be dreaming
|
| Ran back upstairs, tried every phone—dead
|
| Every building—nothing. |
| Every store empty
|
| Getting darker now. |
| Collapse hysterical. |
| Beating my head
|
| Against the pavement just to test my consciousness and lost it
|
| Woke up in pure darkness, thinking it was over
|
| Under a blanket or scarf, the rain beating heavy. |
| Head bloody
|
| God, kill me ‘cause you sure don’t love me. |
| Got up and stumbled
|
| To a bus stop. |
| Sat on a bench, looked at my hands bleeding
|
| Face streaked with dirt and tears streaming down
|
| Never slowing, rocking back and forth, wailing into the sky
|
| Praying for it just to end. |
| Why would you leave me like this?
|
| What have I done wrong? |
| Was it lost of faith?
|
| Maybe I’m in hell. |
| Just tell me something. |
| Am I going insane?
|
| I want to wake up. |
| Please say it’s not the worst nightmare ever
|
| And if it’s not, end it now and just take me up
|
| I’d rather see a tunnel in a light. |
| Wake me up
|
| Don’t leave me in the darkest night ever. |
| Hunger escapes me
|
| Sad, but no, didn’t even measure time. |
| Just started walking
|
| And darkness chased me. |
| The cold air raped me
|
| I let my body go numb, float wherever the wind takes me
|
| Waiting for the end to come. |
| And as she waited for the opposite of the beginning |
| A million-and-one thoughts spun in her head
|
| Was this death? |
| Was she awake?
|
| Had the rest of life been a dream and this is the reality?
|
| She ran until her legs stopped working. |
| And her sweat dripped red
|
| There was still nothing. |
| A flash of light
|
| And a silence softer than silence
|
| And then a darkness blacker than blackness
|
| And then she was still. |
| And then she was still
|
| As the light is leaving, silently retreating down an empty hall
|
| Whispering rain awoke me. |
| The curtains drifting slowly
|
| The hint of dusk and twilight, gray sky, daylight folding
|
| Next to a lover recovering from hangover slumber
|
| Twisting the sheets around my legs, slipping deep in the covers
|
| Reached over, felt nothing but a sense of repetition
|
| Called out his name and heard nothing. |
| Headed to the kitchen
|
| Shuffling sleepy on the slippery tiles. |
| Today, the hallway seems to go on for
|
| miles
|
| Flick on the coffee machine. |
| Flop in the La-Z-Boy—easy chair, sighing
|
| Kick my feet up on the table. |
| Pushing remote buttons, getting nothing
|
| Stood up suddenly, panicking, frantic
|
| Ran to the phone and checked it—dead. |
| Hitting the lights, started crying
|
| Bolted out the door into the pouring rain, started running
|
| Once again, the sound of nothing ringing in my ears
|
| Like it’s a hundred church bells at once. |
| Body turning numb again
|
| Worse than déjà vu, it’s darker, it’s colder than
|
| The reverse of fire. |
| I feel like imploding
|
| Six-shot-bullet-loading, thinking now, tearing down the block
|
| Looking for gun stores, anything to blow my brains out
|
| Hoping lightning hits me from a heavy rain cloud
|
| I cry a million rivers, screaming for deliverance
|
| And end tonight in suffering. |
| Can’t speak. |
| My soul shivers
|
| And she ran until her legs stopped working
|
| And there was still nothing. |
| And then a flash
|
| And then she was still
|
| As the light is leaving, silently retreating down an empty hall |