The Pond
I drifted across the pondAn eerie mist rose all around
Trees grew in twisted
Mockeries of the memories
Of my youth
Mostly bare branches
reaching down to brush
the water's surface with
their pulpy fingers
Tall grass swaying in the
almost non-existent breeze
Making me feel as if I
were being watched by
the thousands of crickets
scritching all around
The moon was high
shining down on me
Through the deformed trees
Creating a glow in the mist
which seemed to creep
higher and higher
as if it were attempting
to swallow me
Everything around me
seemed to have
a life of its own
each tree every piece of grass
moved as if of it's own volition
following me with uneasy eyes
I an invader in their midst
An unwanted alien
Encroaching on what was theirs
All I wanted was to leave
To get away from their
Evil glare
The incessant stares
Suddenly overhead
A flock of birds
take flight
A rustling of branches
a crunching of grass
under tri clawed toes
Wings beating
in uneven time with
the small splashes of water
lapping at the stoic fingers
of the ever present trees
along the bank
My small boat continuing
its course through
the murky waters
Only seen by the foreboding
glow cast from overhead
A light shimmering
Almost enough to see
what creatures prowled beneath
my wooden home
Silently cutting the water
gliding around my unnatural
formation overhead
A ripple appears
followed by the sleek body
of a scaled monstrosity
breaking through the surface
creating a disturbance
and almost immediately
returning to the depths from
whence it came
restoring the overriding calm
I continue on my way
Slightly unnerved by
the brief upheaval
but nevertheless
proceeding to my destination
an area at the farthest
reaches of the water
Guided only by the
moons glow
I slide past the knarled
bases of trees
Slipping through the
grasses growing through the water
Attempting to evade the
sounds of insects
calling out to me
A stranger in this
nighttime paradise
An unwanted guest
I continue on my way
Moving towards my place of rest
A place of respite in
the growing paranoia
of my mind