Cradle
friends of mine said
“we’re going to play
some baseball”
I believed them
I didn’t notice the shovels
I can’t see, can’t move
my skin burns, bones throb
phone, shoes, wallet are gone
blood seeps through my clothes
worms burrow in my nose
drinking fluids for survival
they slide across my face
preparing their home
I try to slow my pulse
saving the air in my lungs
I thrash against all sides
loose dirt spills into the gaps
I feel vibrations - a pounding
they are jumping up and down
I open my mouth to scream
more earth voids the sound
I hear their laughter
my friends stand above
having their fun
while I'm here
still here
Hydra 8
An immortal snake
of poisoned breath,
guards life-giving waters.
I tried to steal a drink
to preserve my being,
but I was detected.
He coiled around me,
and swallowed me whole.
Days I lived inside him,
while he lived off me.
No longer of use,
I was expelled
into the empty space.
Pluto emerged,
cupped his hands together
caught, cradled my remnants
and renewed my minerals.
He told me I’m not wanted,
not yet.
Nick Romeo is a multidisciplinary artist, musician and poet. His poems have been published in The Brentwood Anthology, Uppagus, Rune, StreetCake, Eye Contact, Syzygy, and others. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and cat, Megatron. Find him online.
