In elegant baroque galleries
A spirited poltergeist unfurls
It’s wicked paraphernalia
A swish of frigid whispers
Swirl around ornate turrets
Murals touched with darkness
Glitter in the truant shadows
From precarious chandeliers
Swings a nuanced laughter
Smirking at the ways of men
The colonnades they walked in pride
Now playground for the dead and wild
In the torture chamber
Surrounded by nerves, veins
Flesh, blood, encased in bones
I shudder at the merciless
Incantation, the endless
Curses whispered through
Sinewy walls, deafening me
I stand captured in the maze
Of all my infernal thoughts
So deep, dark and vengeful!
Whispers of a wicked moon
Coldly slithering in my ear
Another dark, restless night
Closes on a frightful year
Carrying in its bosom
Remnants and nightmares
Of strangest days gone by
Apparitions looming large
Filling us up with dread
Of this virus-laden decade
Coiled within a serpentine fear
Slowly coming to life
Powered by venomous anxiety
Poised to strike
Restless under my clammy skin
I lament the loss
Of kindness, integrity, liberty
In this dark strife
That has led our worlds astray
With poisoned words
Delectable winter days
Lounging on a charpoy
Under an azure canopy
A crisp orange sunshine
Warms the citrine aroma
On tangerine-tinged fingers
Teased by a chilly breeze
Drowsy eyelids, gently close
Ignoring all mundane chores
Blue Pen Strokes 