A Nightmarish Slumber

By Sharon Brunner

A lone petunia standing proudly between

a prison of weeds, relaxed, not rattled.

Weeds ruffled taunting the petunia to

give into the bellows of the tyrannical force

Pickled beyond recognition in their harshness.

A precocious persimmon begins its new life

on the branch of the ebony wood family,

ebony, dark, prevailing, and mysterious.

Shadows lurk amongst the dusk,

swaying long branches, hosting secrets.

A snake slithers in and out of the thick patch

of a pencil thin layer of dead spiders, bugs and

small rodents serving as fertilizer

for the ebony stronghold and its peers.

The snake wriggled free from the trail of death.

The persimmon taps the branch quietly

to warn the petunia of looming danger.

The snake is deterred by a dog, running.

The flower is rescued and reveled in its

newly found freedom amid its weed sanctuary.

A hand rifled through the leaves

of the ebony fortress, rests a moment.

Breaths a grateful sigh as the hand retreats,

celebrating another day on this earthly plane.

The petunia and persimmon nod knowingly.

Darkness blankets the grassy meadow.

Slumber interrupted by a nightmare.

A long shiny knife with jagged edges

pierces through the soft flesh,

exposing a red, asterisk center.