Caught in quicksand
colors spill backwards to pigments,
common brown grains swirl fourth colors
in lands of Seuss.

Fixed, pool neither pushes or pulls,
unyielding its monstrous grip;
torture not to senses, rather
eternal lock & key.

My eyes wander, scouting barren
landscape–summer & winter
impression–grass strobe many seasons
like a coked wolverine.

Weeks pass in seconds
as if the grass consumed
steroids–Jack’s bean stock–now
blades part like a flattened corn field.

Many paces away, nippled hill
quakes up through over-dosed grass
raising a figurine–detailed
as a faceless statue of David.

My head jerks back
toward a void of starless twinkles,
a weight tugs under quicksand
rippling like a mercury pool.

Fear of drowning
arms desperately arrow void,
instead meet faceless-David
who calms muscles by his eyeless gaze.

I sit up, swimming in sweat & sheets, struggling to focus
on adjacent wall, unsure I can trust its vividness; unsure
I am still in David’s clutches; unsure I am still alive.
Two deep breaths, my eyes sharpen; one pinch, I am
reassured & disregard David’s presence. Why was he
faceless; why has bliss not revealed his full beauty–left an
unpainted mannequin?

Blackness cascades,
my feet dangle like a morning fog,
sailor’s gust strip bed sheets;
body dry & suspended.

Floor, ceiling & wall
split like a Rubik’s Cube,
each square a sun flare burning
out–a familiar void.

Arms raise, slight pull,
my wrists shackled
like a fresh kill,
hound unwilling to share.

A single star pierces void,
eyes drawn, David emerges.
I yank arms, cuff links tighten,
toneless yelp halts the statue.

Marbled limb stretches, kneading
a welcoming hand; his eyes
& mine meet
for the first time.

David–face-full–smiles
with motionless lips,
resting a distinct hand
on my shackles.

My eyes widen, David nods,
metal clasps unlatch, sounds flood,
star explodes vibrant shades;
possibilities never imagined.