Spritual Forum Award: May 10, 2006
An Open Book
by Tom Watson
The book lay open, waiting,
Where my eyes, heavy, gazed...
Dulled from the voices draining
The energy of my mind, my days…
Then the black print of words
Begin to run, turning red…
Into little streams, pointed as a sword.
I jumped back as the words bled…
The words bled…
Bled….
“Wait, how can this be…”
I started to shout
But what I saw silenced me…
Because when I looked about
I saw Johnny and Sue
Idly chatting about walking in the park,
Bill and Joe, whispering plans for when school is through…
I then caught the teacher’s eyes, like a pool of dark…
A pool of dark…
Dark…
I froze in silence,
Her eyes drawing me in…
Until all I could do was glance
Back down where the pool began…
No black ink, but blood, thick, warm;
Sliding as from paper coated oily;
Dropping in drips hushed; her eyes unalarmed…
Dead, and hidden from all but me…
All but me…
Me…
I tried to turn,
To hide from the strangeness around…
This was not what I came to learn…
Yet it was as if I was bound;
Tied to the place where I stood.
Now, with classmates fading away,
Hoping for a dream, I shook my head…no good…
Only the ink/blood was not made to stay…
Not made to stay…
Stay…
Continuing its silent fall to the floor
That seemed as dust, running as a river
I thought “There could not be more”
While from each page it seemed it would flow forever…
The pools of obsidian then pulled me to them
And as I was drawn into their depth
I could feel the warmth above my pants hem
While a single tear fell from eyes deeper than death…
Deeper than death…
Death…
As each page flipped
Blown by the lightest breath of wind
The words flowed as a river and I slipped
And fell into the warmth…knowing it was my end…
Above the surface two dark eyes began to glow
White gold, brighter than any star seen
And a hand of power, gentle with love lifted me above the flow,
As a voice spoke “Live through Me, sin free, and clean”
Sin free and clean…
Clean…
My hand then slipped from my chin
My head bouncing on the table…
Looking around, at the laughing grins,
I shook my head, trying to remember what I was able…
The Sunday school class of gentle friends
Asked if I was alright, as I understood it all…
Looking down at the bible, by a tear, the rest of my sins were cleansed …
As the voice echoed in my heart, I answered the call...
Answered the call...
Call...
Tom
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