The Song Of Secrets

Murmurs slipping through the darkness,

voices of specters that refuse to die,

part are from the private pages of my life

others the tones from the cemetery moans,

the next door neighbors who sing their confessions

in haunting melodies of sobs and pleas for help.

 

They are the chorus that never ceases

bringing a chill even in the middle

of a warm summer’s eve,

but their songs only stalk my thoughts

until the stress serenade floats into my head,

those stabbing notes of memories

over all the threats to my existence

risking to rip away our home and life.

 

Debt and cancer concerns nibble at my sanity

being merciless in their gnawing at my peace,

then later I hear the cries of my grandson from his bedroom

and remind myself this burden of survival I carry

is for so much more than me.

 

When the neighbor’s dog barks

it makes me wonder if some prowler is lurking outside,

can’t ignore the reality of crime and its dangers,

which I read about in the newspaper everyday.

 

Eventually there comes a silence

no sounds of groans nor eerie thuds,

just a stillness that settles over my mind,

slowly it becomes a harmony within

as I let my thoughts drift to images of blessings,

for a while it calms and soothes

before sleep brings its merciful quiet.