My Raven

My raven told me long ago,

“Waiting on hope can be dangerous.”

Here it comes! That one day when normalcy will come. 

Peace is at the door, posting a selfie.

Am I sleeping?

Scraping off the mask reveals the face underneath

How long have I been hiding?

Lost in the fantasy of my imagination

Faces are distorted, masks don’t fit

Looking through the holes, I see myself, poor bastard.

Squirrels in my head confuse my thoughts,

I can’t make them go away, so I drown them out.

Eyes staring at me through the trees,

Was it leaves, was it squirrels?

Am I losing my mind? When did I have it?

Sleep evades me, there’s no rest in sight

When have I slept?

Leaves rustle in my head, fluttering from the back

I’ve raked them and bagged them 

Repeatedly landscaping the terrain of my mind.

The leaves fuel the mask; the mask hides the leaves

When the leaves swirl in the wind, I call on my raven.

Leaves scatter when my raven flies in.

Squirrels run and hide from the talons sharp

That my raven commands on my behalf.

“Raven flying in the sky

Bring the light from where you fly.

My world is lonely and cold

The leaves that swirl so bold.

In your wings, I want to be

From harm keep me.”

I keep my raven close at hand

To keep the leaves from pushing in.

Inside the gate, I keep things safe

From eyes that stab and voices that cut.

Hold me tight, my raven.