Deja Vu

Sunlight dappled, orange tasseled

Forest floor, footsteps sure

I’ve certainly been here before.

-

Crunching leaves, woodland streams

Misty veil, morning pale

I’ve found my favorite walking trail.

-

But something’s wrong, the sunlight fades

Rocky path now masked in haze

Roots entangle, vines enstrangle

Cooly forgotten, the dark invades

-

And then it’s just me

Standing alone in the gray aisle

Counting cracks in the ceiling tiles

Ceiling tiles—how did I get inside?

-

“You’ve got three days to pay!”

The rusty knife jams in the table

“I promise to pay as soon as I’m able!”

The cloaked shadow walks away

When payment is due, chaos ensues.

-

I start to run, there’s no other choice

Down the hallway, door after door

His raspy voice begins to mock

Every door is locked, locked, locked!

-

At last a handle turns

I scurry inside, hoping to survive

My chest is heaving, labored breathing

The room is dark

Lit only by the spark of his Cuban cigar

I see the golden glint of his smile

“Too bad you didn’t get very far.”

-

A tunnel opens in the ground

Twisting, tumbling, reality crumbling

I spiral downward towards the trees

I’m caught in a bed of fallen leaves

-

Autumn forest, morning sunrise

Breath of fresh air, still alive.

The world is calm, the trail is clear

I think I might go walking here.

-

Sunlight dappled, orange tasseled

Forest floor, footsteps sure

I’ve certainly been here before.