Category Archives: Poem

Poem – Frozen Fence

Frozen Fence

by J.M.D. Reid

Summer’s sun shining bright
Driving back morning chill
Steam rises from frozen fence
Curling and dancing
Heat and cold do war
Summer’s clash against Winter’s grip
Ice melting, frost vanishing
Small victory for Summer’s sun
But night approach signals Winter’s counter
The seasons clash and beauty made
in steam rising from frozen fence

Written on my porch as the sun rose the morning of December 30th, 2015 are remarking upon the steam rising off a my fence.

Hovering

Hovering

by J.M.D. Reid

 

Awake now.
Trembling.
Trying to forget
the inky shadow
hovering.

Hovering
Above
Swirling with hate.
Smothering darkness.

Unable to move,
Unable to breathe.
The shadow
hovers closer.
Voices whispering,
death nearing

I just want to scream,
to cry out for help.
But my body is frozen
and the shadow draws
closer!

Clawing
Desperate
Fearful
Panicked
I just want to move,
to cry out for help.

But I can’t.
I’m frozen,
staring up
at the shadow
hovering above.

Drawing closer,
pressing down,
wanting to
consume.

Awake now.
Trembling.
Trying to forget
the darkness
above while I
lay helpless
below.

Written 1/15/15 2:10 AM after waking up from the most terrifying sleep paralysis attacks I have ever had.  I wrote a guest blog about the Insidiousness of Sleep Attacks based off this experience.

Sleep Paralysis Poem

Sleep Paralysis

by J.M.D. Reid

 

The Door opens, darkness enters
Paralyzed, I lie pinned before terrifying gaze.
A bug, an insect.
Why can’t I move?
Fear bubbling, clawing against leaden limbs.
Why does it watch?
Fear boiling, shouts caught in throat.
Leave me be!
No cry escapes my lips.
Desperate will, fueled by terror
Overcomes immobility.
Covers thrown, body moving.
Shout dies in throat.
Darkness is gone, the door is closed.
Why did it watch?
Why did it watch?

04-07-13

Pain

Pain

driving my bus
head full of darkness
i cannot escape the Plague
of words Afflicting my mind
all I can do is drive
while my soul is Needled
by acrimonious doubt
and crushed
by bitter self-recrimination
would the world even miss me
if i was gone
or would it turn on
uncaring, unremembering
unfeeling

I wrote this poem on May 24th, 2014.  I had a bad day between work and getting rejection letters. I was tired and stressed and my nine hour shift just became an eleven hours. I was tired of driving my shuttle and I just pulled over and wrote this poem on the side of the road in a few minutes, pouring all my negative emotions out and when I was done, I felt so much better.