Death of Dreams (the Crow VII)

I had such high hopes
as I journeyed through my youth,
I was free of doubts,
as I formed my identity.
I could be anything,
make a difference.
Excitement flowed
through my veins,
yet was it all in vain?

‘cause here I sit
pondering upon my choices.
I sleepwalk through life,
in a trance, a zombie
working…eating…sleeping,
I am just an empty shell
of that playful, fun-loving youth
who danced expressively
to the music of life,
blaring the glorious future
that never came, or did it
arrive when I wasn’t looking?

So I sit, and watch the crow
as it watches me, and then
it spreads its wings, flies away
into the deep blue skies.

Clarity hits me then
kindles aflame, the tiny ember
hidden deep within me.
That tiny ember of hope,
that perhaps I will
dream again.

© November 29, 2009 CRF

We are having an open mic at the Sunday Wordplay Workshop at the Harmony Pub. We would love it if you joined us.

Thief in the Night

            During the early years of SGI, business was slim. I mean, who would charter flights from some no-name company? That didn’t deter me though. I could always use the planes to smuggle anything that my clients desired. It certainly would make things a lot easier than that time in Rome.  It certainly was quite a harrowing adventure smuggling a Komodo dragon through Customs in my pants.

          Truth be told, I was shocked when I received that call detailing a proposal I really couldn’t refuse. The client, we’ll call her Mrs. L for anonymity’s sake, wanted to charter a flight to Central Africa. She was dying  to go on a safari, and now that her husband had passed away, under mysterious circumstances I might add, she had the time and money to do so. However, she didn’t want to fly some commercial airline. She knew that their policies were quite strict. They would never let her smoke on the flight. They would keep her from drinking what she wanted, when she wanted. Heck, she would probably be fondled left and right by horny college boys. Well, actually she didn’t really mind that part, but the rest were deal breakers.

          So, there I was in my office, considering how much I should charge David for smuggling him a monkey to play with, yeah, I know, David has a strange desire to be playing with monkeys all day long, when the call came. As soon as she mentioned going on safari, I knew that I could kill two birds, not actual birds, I would never harm a bird, with one stone. More importantly, it would be like getting paid twice for the same job. It was perfect.

          The only concern was she hadn’t booked a safari yet. So, I had to go surfing the web, finding different safaris. She made me send her all the contact info, with their terms and conditions, so that she could decide which to book. Her demanding attitude was a bit annoying, but the money she  was paying me made up for that. Plus, I figured while the pilot was flying us down to Africa, I could act out her college boy fantasy. A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. Know what I mean?

          Anywho, to make a long story short, I flew her down to Africa. While she spent the week on safari, I spent the week capturing monkeys. Let me tell you, those little buggers don’t play fair. They are some of the most difficult animals to catch. Heck, the dragon was easier to catch. After that, it was smooth sailing back. Though she had caught malaria, and I had a barrel full of monkeys, we breezed right through customs, both in Africa and back in Rhode Island. It pays to have connections at smaller airports.

          Once we arrived back home, she thanked me for the experience of a lifetime and actually gave me a thousand dollar tip for acting out the college boy fantasy. She said I was worth every penny. Of course, I never told her my real name or stayed around for her to come back. I’m not stupid. I have an idea how her husband died, and I don’t want to follow suit. She strikes me as the kind of woman that believes the adage “Dead men tell no tales.”

          The good thing about it is between her fee, and the fee that David paid for the monkeys, I was able to purchase a second plane and really get SGI off the ground. Life is good.

Sean, James and Drew came forth from the woods that glorious day;
to speak with full purpose of heart, simple words of wisdom;
if you have nothing to say, don’t say anything at all.

© November 3, 2009 CRF

So, amazingly I was able to complete the blogophilia challenge in the form of a Sijo. Feel free to check out the other fine bloggers.

         Walking up the steps, I could see Heat Lightning flashing off in the distance. I wondered if it was an ominous harbinger of the days to come. Reaching the doorway, I glanced around. Already the vultures in the News industry were jockeying for position. They sensed a juicy story. Sadly, I feared they might be right, though not in the way they anticipated.

          To them, this was a lurid tale of illicit love tragically ended in a murder/suicide. I already had my doubts though. Something just didn’t feel right about this. Entering through the door, I followed the sounds of voices to an upstairs bedroom. Nodding to the officer standing watch, I glanced in to see several CSI agents examining the scene. The lead investigator was in a heated discussion with the Chief of Police. Already I could sense a desire to quickly close the case without digging too deep.

          Setting aside the arguing for a minute, I glanced around the room, careful not to contaminate any of the evidence. I could see one body lying in a pool of blood on the bed. The second one was dangling from a rope that was strung in such a way that when the door was closed, the body hung up near the ceiling.

That was how the room was discovered, with the door closed. That was the first thing that clued me into this not being a suicide. From what I heard, there was evidence of the rope jerking the victim up as he was hung. I could see no way that the deceased could have closed the door while already having the rope tied to himself. How then could the rope have jerked tight?

As I stood there, the Chief angrily strode out of the room screaming: “You better close this case quick. It is an election year. I’m telling you, there was only one murder. The killer is dead too. That is all the public needs to know. They don’t need to be worrying about a deranged killer roaming the streets.”

I glanced at the investigator and shrugged. There really wasn’t anything else I could learn from the scene until they processed it for evidence, so I turned to follow the Chief. He must have really been moving. By the time I turned around he was already gone. I ran down the stairs to the door, only to see him talking to the press. Apparently he was so sure of his conclusions, he was already telling them it was a murder/suicide. I could just see the headlines now: Halloween kills Easter, then self. It appeared that Jack O’Lantern was having an affair with the Easter Bunny. The press always loved a juicy scandal, and this would be no different. I could envision them hounding both spouses, asking them for details on what really went on between the two.

To them it would be no surprise here that such a passionate relationship ended in death. Honestly, in my experience I wasn’t surprised either. However, I still believed they both had been killed. Someone found out about their affair and went crazy. This was clearly a crime of passion.

As I continued to watch the Chief give his statement, the lead investigator stepped up to me. “Have a little faith in my abilities detective. I will prove this was a double murder. It will be up to you to find the killer though.”

“So, I was right. He didn’t hang himself.”

“No. With the length of the rope, and the fact he was still dangling from the ground even with the door open, I would say there was no way he hung himself.”

“Fine. Continue gathering evidence. I’m going to visit the spouses. I’ll try and find out where they have been.”

Quickly I ran to my car. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I inserted the key into the ignition and started the engine. The radio was still on, so I could here the morning DJ. “The Last Song you heard was Dead Man’s Party, by Oingo Boingo.” I chuckled to myself as I realized how apropos that song was right now. Putting the car in drive, I headed out to do my job, regardless of what the Chief was saying to the press. I knew there was still a killer on the loose.

The Masquerade Ball

Twilight falls across the castle towers
as haunting tunes filter through autumn air;
guests arriving now, solo and in pairs
in celebration they’ll dance for hours.
Amidst the décor of silken flowers
mask covered faces, with secretive stares
reveal inner fantasies, on a dare;
with such disguise, there’s no need to cower.

Bodies intertwine as the music flows
just who is who, can any of us know.
Dancing away to the sweet Fandango
with you in my arms, I will never go.
All the world’s a stage, and we’re the show
behind the mask, you see, true love doth glow.

© October 25, 2009 CRF

It's time for the Masquerade Ball at the Harmony Pub. We would love it if you could stop by to help celebrate the 2 year Anniversary of the Pub as well as an early Halloween party. If you wish, come dressed as your favorite TV or movie character, or a historical person or even a monster. Just stop on by.