Radiance

Dark. Midnight. The lack of light.

A figure sat on the edge of the Chair

Gazing staring, mind dangerously wandering.

Sketches littered the walls, the floors

The desk, the table.

Figures drawn tastefully,

Hands and feet positioned to strike

Or just standing, holding a pose.

But none had faces.

No smile, no frown

No eyes, no facial features.

BLANK

The figure stood, strode out of the pitch black room,

Dressed in old, worn, slightly frayed jeans

And an old grey sweatshirt.

Thunder rumbled in the distance,

The sky so dark, black clouds shrouding the sky

Yet the figure walked on

Barefoot.

Eyes trained on the ground, unaware of the

Streaking pain shooting up

The nerves of the slender body.

Lightning flashed exposing a hunched shadow

Clutching its head in agony as it followed the figure.

The figure trudged on, getting drenched as rain poured,

Approaching a well-hidden, usually moonlit lake.

Drowning

Drowning

Drowning

The path seemed to be swallowed by once kind willows

Weeds, and ferns weaving themselves over

Closing like a door.

Mirages of faceless figures –

Faces as pale as paper,

Faces as flat as the paper they were drawn –

Reached for the on human

Their creator, mentally as nightmarish as the rest of them.

The figure collapsed to its knees,

Shadow and reality melding

Resigning to loss

Wishing for oblivion.

Throat closing, vision blacking.

Consciousness fading little… by… little…

"Breathe… Breathe…" the sky seemed to sigh

"Build a wall, disappear" drenching rain raged on.

The moon seemed to break away the clouds,

"Surface… SURFACE!" it cried

Its rays reflecting of the rippling waters

Of the angry cerulean lake

Bathing the figure, whose eyes turned up to meet

Redemption. Recovery. Artemis.

The figure stood eyes sad, but alive.

Mind was unraveling the cords

Burning down the walls

Eliminating the nightmares.

The faceless figures seemed awestruck

Reborn.

One by one faces redrawn

Eyes opening and leaving, disappearing from life.

Crouching down once more

To touch the now still lake,

The figure skimmed thin fingers

Along the top of translucent reflection of the Moon

One word echoing:

Radiance.