The Poetry of
Terri Lyn Stanfield
I wake to total darkness
My skin cold and clammy
My heart thundering out of control
And my breath coming in harsh gasps
Still completely engulfed in terror
Held tightly in the grasp of the nightmare
My screams still echoing through the room
I try to remember the dream's content
But can recall only vague images
Horrors tugging at the edge of my memory
Thank God it was only a dream
It was only a dream, wasn't it?
Yet it seemed so real
I fumble with the light
And as it comes on
I realize my nightmare has only begun
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Part II
As the light brightens the room
It is not my room it reveals
Nothing here is familiar to me
And I mean that in the truest sense
Yes, this is obviously a bed; that, a chair
But like none I have seen before
The very air seems different, alive almost
I slowly rise from the bed
My heart still pounding rapidly
The nightmare still very much with me
The terror still very real
Compounded now by the reality I'd woken to
I look down, and realize these are not the clothes I'd worn to bed
Everything was different than it had been just a few hours before
A thought occurred to me, and I rushed to the nearest mirror
But no, it was still my face that looked back at me
I opened the closet, and it was full of clothes
Though they appeared strange to me
They seemed to be the right size
I grabbed the first thing I could, and hurriedly dressed
Then I walked to the door
Certain that it would be locked
But the knob turned easily in my hand
And gathering my courage, I stepped out into the hallway
And determined to discover where I was.....
What had happened...
I walked toward the stairs
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Part III
As I cautiously descend the stairs
I hear voices, though their words are indistinct
I hesitate on my descent and wonder
Will their language be the same as my own
Will they look as I do, for nothing else in this place
is familiar
Bolstering my courage, I continue on
As I reach the bottom of the stairs
The voices are louder, and I do understand their words
I follow the sound of the voices, and enter a dining
room
Which goes silent upon my entry
Startled looks are exchanged, and the silence lengthens
Just at the point where I was about to turn around and
leave
Quite a handsome man approached me
And bowed!!
Terri Lyn Stanfield
Poetry Page
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