On Board Tonight
David Brown
Was that the bark of a fox?
The screech of an owl?
Or the call of a siren?
There’s a storm tuning up
God’s moving the chairs
It’s as heavy as iron
They’ve switched off the moon
Blankets cover the stars
It’s as black as a raven
From the dark they appear
Swirling like ghosts
Ghoulish and graven
On-board they creep, stealing your sleep
Breaching defences
Keelhaul your thoughts & tie them in knots
Looting your senses
Buccaneers of Bedlam
Pirates of the cerebellum
On board tonight
A fluttering tarp
A galleon sail
Lone lantern swinging
Bamboo wind chime
Dry pirate bones
Jigging in the rigging
Rusty gate hinge
A siren song
Calling your number
Knots in the sheets
A tentacle grip
Pulling you under
You fight and fight with all your might
But you never seem to win
You thought you might sleep tonight
But here they come
Here they come again
First light creeps
The chaos abates
Re-batten the hatches
They return to the deep
Melting like smoke
Just leaving ashes |