AUTHOR’S NOTE: Edge of a Fading Dream is a poetic short story based on a dream I had in mid-to-late 2018 after losing my unborn child. It was originally intended to serve as Act 1 of an Epic, but due to ongoing health concerns I’ve decided to publish it as a standalone poem. This… is my story.
Edge of a Fading Dream
The warmth of a star, predestined to fall. The ominous rumble amid the clouds. The dream of a man, betrodden by all. The sullen silence of complicit crowds. What guileful fate awaits humanity?
Pervasive shadows approach from above. A dusky gloom engulfs a wholesome sky. He urgently alerts those whom he loves. Sudden tragedy struck before his eyes. What curse has befallen his family?
Sirens scream hysterically through deaf ears. Fools dance to the beats of distant war drums. Few people act in spite of their worst fears. The serpent’s last supper has now begun. How far gone is that angel’s sanity?
Some stop to pray while he races onward. Eager to reach the border of the sea. His anxious calls to his wife go unheard. The harbinger of death lands at his feet. His dying breath loathing God’s vanity.
Sounds of a child’s cry jolts him back to life. A surreal quietness imbued the air. Realizing truth behind blinding lies. The ghost of his son freed him from despair. Raised by hands of eternal amity.
Lest ye be forgone in the books of time – Go forth on thy path ye walketh alone. Fear not the end of what’s perceived sublime. The sins of man, henceforth, shall be atoned. Thou need not suffer such calamity.
Having recovered from certain demise – He ponders the voice, its subtle warning. Family, friends, and wife, he must remise. With hardened heart, tears halted from falling. His life’s purpose now seen with clarity.
Juxtaposing his efforts made by foot – Frantic drivers careen down winding roads. Meandering pass with a trail of soot – Some failed to see what his gestures forebode. The chaos sparked anger and enmity.
Continuing on his southeastern course. Through the angry clutch of the devil’s palm. At long last reaching the edge of the shore. The horizon’s glow signaled a new dawn. He cheered the sight of brief serenity.
A nation embraced by waning red flames. Unwary people, lambs to the slaughter. Behind him endured decrepit remains. Like the faithful Lot, his head stayed straughter. Cries of agony fade gradually.
Supplanting the distant screams in his wake – The soothing sound of seagulls renders bliss. Surprisingly calm sits the ocean waves. Almost unseen amid the morning mist. What mysteries lie in uncertainty?
He stood at the edge of a fading dream – Having warned loved ones of the evil scheme. Some ridiculed him to the lowest low. At last they see, albeit dry tears flow. Deep inside, some grin like his enemy.
With body at sea, and his mind at ease – His spirit rests in everlasting peace. From ripples in time, to oceans of lore. May the light of truth shine forevermore. And darkness of doubt fade from memory.
Copyright © 2020
Author: Hakeem Bahadur Faruq Bey
Contact: See the contact page
Originally published on my old blog.