James Babbs

I Remember Drowning

I remember drowning
before awakening into a dark place
I remember
reaching out with my hands
for something that was no longer there
I kept breathing in the air
trying to fill up the emptiness
I felt inside of me
wondering
how long I had been there
wondering
what had happened to her
I tried calling her name
but there wasn’t any answer
I kept feeling something cold
rubbing against my skin
and I could never seem to get warm
and from out of nowhere
there was a sudden glow
threatening
to break open the darkness
but something invisible kept rising up
and swallowing away the light

The Clock Doesn’t Have a Face

the clock doesn’t have a face
it’s just big red numbers
stuck inside a black box
and glaring back at me
and it’s been such a long time
since I held her close to me
it’s been such a long time
since I heard
the sound of her laughter
so long ago now
I’m no longer certain
I even remember
what it sounded like

Legend

last night I dreamed
my parents were alive again
they appeared in black and white
like an old photograph
and they didn’t say anything
they just stood there
watching me
as I tried to figure out
how to decipher
a map I had found
I was holding the map
in my left hand
I didn’t know
where the map had come from
the map looked old
and I felt like
it had something to do
with some kind of treasure
I kept waving the map around
and showing it to my parents
I wanted to know
what the map was trying to tell me
I felt this terrible sense of urgency
I knew
I was running out of time
my parents just stood there
watching me

 

James Babbs likes the night life but he doesn’t like to boogie.  James has written hundreds of poems and a few short stories over the years and has even had a few of them published.  If you happen to visit the internet you may find something he has written.