somniat 24: heat

somniat – heat

I don’t know what happened,
they just came in all of the sudden
and made everyone leave;
I hid in the back … yes …
I think I know another way out,
but it wouldn’t be easy;
it is then that she looks up,
and it is then that she sees me;
Jesus,
I’ll call you back.

She slowly hangs up the phone
and stares at me
for about the time it would take
for an idea to blossom;
her eyes are at first awash in a shallow angst
but gradually they give way to a profound pity;
and I accept it;
I let it wash over me
for I know now (and again)
that she is to be my salvation
and my redemption;
I will not make it out of here
without her.

She steps out of the shop cautiously
and with great care approaches me
glancing left and right, up and down the promenade,
to assure herself we are alone;
once satisfied, she slowly circles me,
like a predator to its prey
or like an animal wary of a trap –
a slow cautious feline dance
that ends with her so close
I can feel the heat from her body
and all at once I shiver.

You’re bleeding,
she shyly croons;
her voice is a gentle caress across inner wounds;
her eyes — probes that see deep within
as they hover over my own eyes,
pausing, for a moment of uncertainty.

She makes a decision;
come on, she says,
and she reaches out to take my hand.

I let her fingers curl around my own
and am infused by a fluid, melting energy
that immediately begins to seep into me;
I begin to think
I could die now
and it would be okay.

She leads me into the shop of rocks
and in front of a display of chrysocolla
she sits me down on a hard, cold, wooden chair;
when she tries to let go of my hand,
I won’t let her;
I realize I must be crying
because she’s wiping a tear away from me
just below my left eye;
we’re face to face now
and I’m drowning in the fathomless pools of her eyes;
you’re going to be okay,
she whispers,
I’m going to help you;
but I need you to trust me,
and I need you to listen to me;
first, let go of my hand.

I let go, and when I do so,
a stinging frost sweeps over me;
I shiver and shudder
as the whole world withdrawals from me
and I’m sucked into a deep pocket of frigid emptiness;
she puts a hand to my forehead
and looks up with immensely sad, dreaming eyes;
then she says,
you’re burning up.

• somniat 42: up
• somniat 41: the girl from the men's room
• somniat 40: the general
• somniat 39: where naked angels weep
• somniat 38: devils
• somniat 37: ... and now you are dead
• somniat 36: the dry well
• somniat 35: the grotto
• somniat 34: passages iii
• somniat 33: passages ii
• somniat 32: passages i
• somniat 31: home
• somniat 30: between fate and destiny, part ii
• somniat 29: between fate and destiny, part i
• somniat 28: can you run?
• somniat 27: the lolling tongue
• somniat 26: what the gargoyle saw
• somniat 25: chrysocolla
• somniat 24: heat
• somniat 23: parousiamania
• somniat 22: basalt and ebony
• somniat 21: a festival of stars
• somniat 20: a standoff
• somniat 19: wingless dragonflies
• somniat 18: an exchange between lawyers
• somniat 17: the old cinema
• somniat 16: through the vent
• somniat 15: out and into
• somniat 14: a decision in retrospect
• somniat 13: trust
• somniat 12: utterly beautiful
• somniat 11: spotted
• somniat 10: the men's room
• somniat 9: through the alcove iii
• somniat 8: through the alcove ii
• somniat 7: through the alcove i
• somniat 6: the mountain
• somniat 5: the change
• somniat 4: fear
• somniat 3: numbers
• somniat 2: in shadows
• somniat 1: a place underground