Muses for Kebret

Muses for Kebret 

In the sharp polarized light, 
an old friend whispers, 
two red-haired monsters sit at 

the far end of the bed, 
you peer around; your breath 
denies calm. 

The woman in your ward 
is a torture; 
she walks in  
on a head, 
two legs sticking up in the air— you 
watch in the spirit 
of windmills and giants. 

You wonder why  
things get so dangerous; 
a pile of grey clouds 
rumbles at the floor of your head. 

Last night you sat up 
to yell at a female  
devil that wears 
a bold moustache, 
no wonder a sea of slim devils came 

peeling off your skin 
with their wiry tails. 

Today, darkness  
looms in the room, packed masses  
roll, fill the earth and flatten your body. 

A woman in white,  
though dangerous, runs in for rescue, 
but you can’t leave 
things this way. 

Note: this piece on trauma/hallucination was inspired by a page in Sahle Sellassie’s Firebrands.