Three Poems by Rickey Rivers Jr.

Graveyard Song

I hum a somber song into your waiting ear.

Dear I play happily as if you're still here.

Beyond grave song, a gravedigger solo reawakens memory bringing forth lost love.

A church bell rings.

A choir sings.

Beautiful things are barely heard.

This serenade not for naught, I await you still with open arms.

An AM Nightmare

With scratches on my arms and cat killing dreams I awake with a warm neck. My heart beats erratic, hair in the pillows. I've been sleeping on troubles. Claws under eyelids open my eyes. It's worse than it seems. Hospital visitation, nurses in cat suits or vice versa. Medicine, please make the dreams go away. I'm not that particular vision. I took care of strays. Anxiety forced me to give them away. Haunted by this, a screech recoils me. Dreams of this nature seem to boil me in comfortable sheets. I'm so afraid of this nature. I dare not sleep.

Soul Takers

Complexities of the mind influenced by the devil's minions, cross cut the eyes.

Deny sinners refuge.

They have taken the children.

Gnaw on verses in haunted caves.

Lash out against the ones un-horned.

Demons biting, piercing, unforgiving claws grip and rip souls.

A tale foretold in legends old.

Rickey Rivers Jr was born and raised in Alabama. He is a writer and cancer survivor. His work has appeared in Dream Noir Magazine, Bonnie's Crew, Nightingale & Sparrow, Crepe & Penn (among other publications). Twitter.com/storiesyoumight / https://storiesyoumightlike.wordpress.com/ His third mini collection of 3x3 poems is available now: see it now?: A Third Collection of 3x3 Poems Fun fact: I like horror stuff.