The House Of Horrors & The Golden Key
In my house
There is a throbbing pain
I can never locate
And tame
There is a silent rage
I insist on ignoring
Panicked eyes
Scan the dark corners
For enemies
The clock judges us all
With great solemnity
A hole in the floorboards
Expands and contracts
As I walk
The windows are always black
Though sometimes there’s light outside
It just doesn’t make it in
Mice creep and hope I won’t kill them
They’re wrong
A blind man with
Scales all over
Dabs out candles
With webbed hands
They are noises on the stairs
But I’m sure no one’s there
A sick baby cries in a cot
I’ve draped a cloth over
I whisper prayers in the dark
Like wisps of smoke
Up the chimney
Can anybody hear me?
A thin man scribbles in a ledger
All night long
Every note of sadness will be recorded
My dog shakes at my legs
At least I have a friend
I hope I won’t eat him
I rub the ring
I bought to capture demons
I kindle fire in the grate
It keeps the shadows away
Though they grow longer
I had a key once
For the door
It was golden and pure
But I lost it
I think it went down the floor
I try fishing for it sometimes
But I’m afraid I’ll be sucked in
I dream of living on an island far away
But this house I always carry with me
I sing sometimes for company
But no one hears me
But the music exists
And can’t be denied
It still lives inside
This place was a church once
And maybe could still be
I keep humming my
Shattered symphony
Hoping for a resonance
From something beyond these walls
That still cares about me.
© John Horan 2020
