Trinkets and what-nots work full moon sorcery on lonely nights , recalling the past both good and bad , staring from shelves without -
blinking , knowing full well what their prey are thinking
Waiting for tonights victim to hit the hay
Inducing nightmares , devilment , sanity held at bay , logic for ransom , Colonel Nutcracker so debonair and handsome , waiting for the final candle to be snuffed , to gather with your comrades on the 'Dutchmasters Cigar box ...  Night of tomfoolery and mischievous happenstance , of devious aim , and unscrupulous circumstance* ...

I dislodge the remnants of stars
The remains of brilliant men before me
The as yet unrecognized cure for cancer
Riddles only the deceased can answer* ...

from her window she could see
the shells of buildings the bombs battered--gray concrete
ghosts, haunting in their silence

Father said his ears
hadn't stopped ringing since the attacks, though he still
could hear her playing

and he expected her practice to continue
for one day, he promised, prayers would prevail, peace
would return, and her song would be heard

play, he entreated, for ivory, black
and white, has forgotten the evil of men, their carnage;
the notes know nothing except to be played

and to give pause for hope, when
more trenchant sounds demanded one’s attention,
still the song must remain

Not sure when all of this started
Maybe the day sanity departed
But now I find that I like to chew
On anything the color of blue

The transition was rather simple
Erasures from colored pencils
Of course you know the color I choose
Do I need to keep reminding you

And who in their right mind would not pack lunch
Without the world of Crayola in a colorful box
They even give the crayons fancy names
Although all the shades of blue taste the same

And for a chew with a bite without the bark
I always do blue from the Play-Doh jar
To be fair other colors I've tried
But haven't I told you it's the blue that I like

Don't dare get me wrong there is normal I find
Why I'm a softy for good a blueberry pie

Then there's blue Pixie sticks
And blue Kool-Aid mix
Blue frozen pops
Blue chewy gum drops
Blue Gatorade
Blue frosted cupcakes
Who ever knew
There was so much color blue

And I know what you think
Call it a hunch
But the Permanent Marker
I needed only try once

Like I said
I'm not sure when all of this started
Maybe the day sanity departed...

And  when  his  usefulness  had  gone.
They  just  cast  him  aside.
And  on  the  final  downhill.
He  began  to  slide.

Rejected  after  all  his  work.
Visions  now  all  gone.
He  knew  full  well  his  time  was  near.
He  knew  he  had  not  long.

As  an  old  man  disillusioned.
And  weary  from  his  fight.
He  spent  in  sad  remembrance.
His  final  lonely  night.

Keith  Wilson.  Windermere.  UK.  2016.