by John RC Potter
Shadows dance across the room
as I walk upon this dusty floor,
mere specters that come too soon
and make soft noises on the door.
In my eyes there are now reflected
the elusive images of another lover
and the reality of love deflected,
with nothing left for me to discover.
I am everyone, I am the haunted,
knowing truths that were never spoken;
I do not need what I’ve always wanted,
with faith not shattered, just broken.
Mere silence is better than any lie,
it only damages you and you alone;
death comes not only to those who die,
it is life that is the great unknown.
Black on black, those eyes of yours,
drawing in the body with the soul:
eyes that have closed a thousand doors
and threaten to consume me whole.
You are the hunted, you are everyone,
pursued only by your words, your past;
if I can separate the doer from the deed,
the future will be more infinite, more vast.
The haunted and the hunted are we,
now inheriting our own sad legacy;
change the ending before the ink dries,
let love live, not experience its demise;
and if love can take away the eternal night,
I will lift you up to touch the forever light.
John RC Potter is an international educator from Canada who lives in Istanbul. He has experienced a revolution (Indonesia), air strikes (Israel), earthquakes (Turkey), boredom (UAE), and blinding snow blizzards (Canada), the last being the subject of his story, ‘Snowbound in the House of God’ (Memoirist). His story, ‘Ruth’s World’ (Fiction on the Web), was a Pushcart Prize nominee, and his poem, ‘Tomato Heart’ (Disturb the Universe Magazine), was nominated for the Best of the Net Award. The author’s gay-themed children’s picture book, The First Adventures of Walli and Magoo, is scheduled for publication. His website is johnrcpotterauthor.com.
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