Poetry: Fabrice B. Poussin

Data Dream

They dreamed of becoming gods in their day

tending to knowledge reserved for the infinite.

Hoping to shed the flesh they went to sleep

on the experimental slab of an uncertain fate.

In a maze of sugar-coated wires they rested

trapped in a web made of multicolored strings.

The goal, an awakening to unlimited secrets

a little madness before loss of all senses.

The organic frame retracted upon the steel

as fresh features became an icy blue marble.

There they lay as some do on execution day

given to the universe hoping to belong.

But they did not know the cost of their demands

as now the citadel of their bodies fell into chaos.

The darkness of the unfathomable void

now afforded to the soul of the same matter.

What will remain of the ones who once were

gentle children on the playgrounds of birthing desires!

Yes, they aimed to break down the boundaries of life

seeking eternal selves beyond the matter of the earth.

But now they withered away in shocking convulsions

prays to what they could not see, could not imagine.

Assailed from all parts by energies of innumerable stings

invaded in their whole by what they meant to achieve.

The fancy turned to nightmare as they slowly perished

tortured forevermore for their desperate attempt.

Soon none of who they once were would subsist 

digested by that immense power they tried to capture. 

***

 

Just Like a Book

They sought another chapter in mystery

far from touching impending realities

in the warmth of two simple pages they slept.

Beings thin as the membranes of hidden dimensions

they glided like dying leaves of autumn

weighed by the mists of another chagrin.

Residents of stories to never perish

they barely dare imagine a secret rendezvous

stretching hopes in the energies of stars.

Seeking the comforting warmth of life’s essence

they lay offered to infinite possibilities

given to the imagination of the other.

A moment may come when the pages will fold

so the two will rest as in a common alcove

destinies shared in unavoidable unity at last. 

***

 

Sleeping for Eternity

I slept for a million years of perhaps two

upon a new dawn I hovered above a strange realm

monochrome as the night.

I found that I was a solitary presence floating between

walls of a gray hue unknow to those eyes

and remained still with semblances of clouds.

Some clocks had frozen on a late hour

while others persisted with invisible hands

so intense was their speed into a soft death.

In the vessel of a worn-out soul, I felt little

unable to distinguish the moment

perhaps it was dizziness again.

I wondered the fate of the dear friend

who came to life in that world

made of ethers and sublime forms.

***

Unearthing a past

They are few now to venture the plains

fearful yet of dense forests

awakening from prolonged hibernation

they take another timid step upon the stone.

Followed by the odd sound of breathing machines

they might be revenants in their white prisons

polymer vests and plexiglass windows. 

Exhilaration animates the eerie objects

apparitions upon a virgin land

so strange to them are the oceans and mountain peaks.

A trace of a long hidden past has returned

haunting memories as it will their futures

for one like them once explored this land.

Etched into the granite the footprint struggles to live

almost erased by time unforgiving

if only it could have remained a secret.

They might be on a strange planet these upright creatures

centuries have passed where man once ruled

perhaps at peace he too should remain.

***

 

When You Sleep

The flat screen yells gun shots and death threats

in a semi obscure room so safe from all hazards

and you sleep curled up in your white little ball.

I hear the heavy strings of rain caress my walls

a light seems to wish a quick invasion into this home

where you know all will be fine in your dreamland.

At peace with the sores of a day well filled

you recollect the bumps and bruises in the field

when no one was watching, and you stumbled in the brush.

Gently you turn to enjoy your due comfort

as it was once in the house of your birth

warm ocean rejuvenating with the salts of life.

Perhaps you will share your dreams with a smile

But for now, I will protect these hours of rest

with the silence another night brings upon us. 

***

BIO: Fabrice Poussin teaches French and English at Shorter University. Author of novels and poetry, his work has appeared in Kestrel, Symposium, The Chimes, and many other magazines. His photography has been published in The Front Porch Review, the San Pedro River Review as well as other publications.

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Setu, December 2021