The Midnight Dance
By
Erin Miller
Smashwords Edition
Published by Erin Miller on Smashwords
The Midnight Dance
Copyright © 2011 Erin Miller
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events is pure coincidence. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
This book is dedicated to Agnes Payton, my late Grandmother.
This is the poetry I have written throughout my lifetime so far. I firmly believe that a poem has underlying meanings which the reader should be able to figure out. Readers tend to come up with their own conclusions to the poems they read based on their own experiences. One poem can have a million different meanings to a million different readers. I simply do not want to take that experience away from the readers of my work.
“My Dear Grandma Agnes Payton”
Dear Grandma
I do not know you very well
Though you have lived in the same house as me until I was eleven
Maybe earlier you were sent to a nursing home
I am not sure
According to what I hear about you
You were born in 1926
You married a man named Joseph Payton who was a bomber pilot in World War II
And died of Lung Cancer when my Mother was thirteen
The rumors are you loved Grandpa with all your heart
But where separated from each other at one point
Then the love you two shared brought you back together
And my Mother who is the baby of your family was born
You had her in your forties
Grandma I don’t have many memories of you
And the ones I have are frightful
Though I believe those frightful memories are not your fault
But it is the fault of your mental illness
Paranoid Schizophrenia mixed with Bipolar Disorder
This is what I have heard anyway
It seems to make sense
And Grandpa I never met
I have heard good stories about Grandpa
Though I hear as a distant whisper there were also bad stories
I only want to focus on the good
Grandma if you were of the right mind
I think you would be proud of me
I know deep down in your heart you love all of your family members
And are proud of each of them
I think you would be proud of Keith too who is a security guard and has a career as a Police Officer in the future
You would be proud of Zack I would imagine
He writes for Triond, is working on a comic book, and wants to be an engineer
I love you too Grandma
I don’t have many memories of you
But a family’s love is unconditional
I love you Grandma
I hope your life’s journey was pleasant
I am crying now Grandma
I wish I had more memories of you
I wish you could see the adults my brothers and I have become
I wish you could see your Great Grandchildren from my cousins
They are beautiful babies
All of your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren are doing well Grandma
We all love you
I wish I had more memories of you dear Grandma
Seeing you in the hospice brought me to tears
I realize now there is so much I do not know about you
I can only hear things from other family members
I wish I knew more about you
I wish you weren’t suffering or in any pain
I hope you are doing well
I wish I had more memories of you dear Grandma
I am in tears writing this
I wish you the best when you do begin your journey to the afterlife
I love you Grandma
Good luck in the next phase
And I hope you will be able to reunite with your one true love
Love your Granddaughter
Erin Miller
“The Midnight Dance”
Blood leaked down the walls
Red and gleaming
The effects of torture through mine eyes alone
The dancing goggle of fairies swooned me towards them
In the mist I danced, till my feet bled
And even then I kept going
Never did I see the light shine ahead
Not in my ignorant bliss
Time flies by when you’re having so much fun
Why you never think of consequence
And when the ticking of the clock ensues
When you’re bloody hand seeks you
Terror ensnares with a viceful grip
Crushing all hope and drowning you in a burning fire
Soul’s great and black desire
Captured in flame
Thrown into the pit
And when you think of what’s left
It’s too late to caress the thoughts
For you fall into
The dark eternal abyss
“Inside Anger”
My heart is filled with darkness
The light complete with black
Blood which leads to internal scarring
And yet I must see far aback
A black tear rolls down my cheek
And I lament for mistakes past
My sorrow surrounds me in a shady aura
Drawing its energy back
My screams have gone unheard
In my darkened past
My eyes burn with fire
Exposed to too many things unpure
A raging in my soul leaks out white light
But holds darkness in black
A black light as wonderful as night
Even in midnight fright
I must seek through this tempting night
A rope still withheld inside me
As I try to clearly remember my past
I fall upon my knees wishing to see far back
A glint of shining metal through the corner of my eye
A sword held by giant
As I ask for help and advice
My arms outstretched
But instead
The sword goes through my chest
“The Warrior’s Stance”
My days of glory are drawing near
A mask thrown beside me hides all my pain
A new life is dawning
And I must take the stand
My sword is drawn
At full strength I go
Uncovering dark secrets along the way
My battle prowess is up to the task
Any injury I receive is eradicated by the powers that be
My sword is stained with the blood of my foes
I seek for peace
But that is not to come
With every battle I lose myself
A victim to my ongoing rage
A deadly sin
In the body of the strongest warrior
Even deadlier yet is the power stored inside my being
The glowing red eyes I harness when completely enraged
Like that of a demon
But I am no monster
I only fight when provoked
And even then I may not choose to fight
However, I will always prevail
I am the strongest warrior
“The Valley”
I walked through the valley of death
I knew not where I was headed
No guidance was with me in the valley of death
I marched on with no regrets
I wanted to see the unseen
And to do the unthinkable
Down in the valley of death
A monster of a land
I keep marching on in the valley of death
I knew not what was to come
Swords were tight in my grip
I keep marching on in the valley of death
Knowing I will not live for another night
But I keep marching on in the valley of death
For that is all I know
Being a blind soldier and all
“Warrior’s Glory”
Blood filled my face
The salty taste on my lips
From battle wounds of the past
My sword thrown aside
All rusted and cracked
My armor penetrated by a javelin
Thrown by an experienced hand
My faithful stallion
Put to death
Before my very own eyes
I had failed in my conquest
And I have lost the respect of my men
I now live in exile
From my own homeland
Now retired from Warrior Days
Legally, I’m retired anyway
But I still live by my sword
I can’t let go of the Warrior Way
I am still needed to fight
“A War General’s View”
My sword is held high
The time to strike is now
Blood will be spilled this day
But the demons rage forth
All in a manner of a plan
A group attacking in a combined unit
The battle commences
The horses have their heavy gallops
While holding their armored warriors on top
Archers are in position
Remnants of future snipers
A sniper rifle goes a long way
A very long way
Foot soldiers are marching up the paths
Swords in hand
Feet in motion
My army rises
Attacking the enemies
There is no standstill any longer
War must go on
Blood is spilled from each side
It decorates the Earth’s floor
Many comrades in arms will fall this night
Death is upon us
And even though the odds are against us all
We march on
“The Murderess of Mind”
Twists of darkness
Leading to despair
The skeletons calling
And I am there
Come with me
I’ll show you the way
Stick close by me and learn from me
You’ll experience pain
You’ll feel heartbreak
The demons come back to me one by one
Blood will be spilled tonight
I watch the ruby droplets
Shining
Glistening
Gleaming
A grin spreads across my face
I once again hold the power
Nothing can stop me now
I fade in and out of the hearts of many
I’m the one you fear
I’m the one in control
I hold up the dagger
Freshly wrenched from my victim
I have won
My victory is sustaining
Guided to this dreadful task
I seek nothing but vengeance
The hour is at hand
My eyes are a blazing inferno
No mercy will be shown tonight
I have lost all pity
I have lost all compassion
I strike down all who stand in my way
Humanity”
The fire burns deep within
Night stands still
Rage beckons forth
A dragon bursting with the flames of wrath
And a warrior
Who stands
Slightly charred
With sword in hand
The battle is never ending
Even after a small victory
The war goes on
No one knows why they fight this war
All they know is bloodshed and pain
The tears and sweat
Mixed with the smell of blood
A lingering copper taste
That no one likes
The victories are sweet
But the cause is long forgotten
All anyone knows is useless fighting
And on the battle grounds
The fights are immense
Always ’till death
Never is mercy shown
No one knows compassion
No one knows love
Just survival
And to keep the enemy at bay
A place of limbo
Battles never ending
War always a factor
Of everyday life
And no one knowing respite
No relaxation
No sympathy
No emotion
Just pure survival of the fittest
Intelligence is unknown
Unless it is towards weapons
What a world to live in
To see mere children carry swords
And the weak always killed
In some cruel fashion or another
It is truly terrifying
The heartless warriors killing everyday
For pure survival
And no other cause
Not even being able to unite
And become civilized
If any of these warriors
Know what “civilized” even means
It is a shame to call these warriors
The human race
“Inner Demon”
The ghost haunts me
I am living in the dark
The demons dance upon the walls
They dance and taunt
Screaming absurdities
My head is ringing with the noise
The controlling demons are taking over
My flesh and blood
I am leaking into insanity
Or am I already there?
Sun light approaches
I am exhausted
Sleep is not to come
A new found pain inside my body
My flesh molding to demon form
Horns I bear proudly
I en-capture the darkness
It beckons me
It calls me
It is amusing
The songs of the hollowed ones
The songs of the darkness
A sweet
Sweet
Melody
The black clouds consume me
Swallowing me whole
Proudly I bear the cloak of night
I am a child of the night
An adult in daylight
I am the one knowing true pain
Both physical and mental
Blood doesn’t compare
Blood is nowhere to be found
No vampires are here
Nor werewolves
Just pure demons
Demons that will haunt you
More than just the typical ones
There are many demons
Traditional demons
Inner demons
Demons of the day
Demons of the night
Demons are everywhere
I join with the demons
My body is of the night
I am a human
But I can take them on
One by one
It’s better than dealing with the real demons
That I have been faced with as of late
Real demons
True demons
Not of traditional lore
But the demons inside people
The inner demons
Two categories of inner demons
You can figure that one out
While I fight these inner demons
“Questions of Life”
Abandoned
Betrayed
A lone pathetic warrior
Night falls like a giant curtain
Never to see the sun again
This is the constant madness
Running through my unstable mind
I know despair quite well
Family is unreliable
Friends are nonexistent
I am alone
All alone
I feel the peril
The constant burn
I have nothing
I feel nothing
I don’t care
It is too much
A lone wolf walking
I feel the shame upon me
I know not what to think
All alone
I am
There is nothing
No one
I am a mess
In my head
All garbled up confusion
I seek vengeance
Knowing not what for
I seek an inner peace never to be found
I am a monster
I know no love
I know no mercy
But wait,
I do know love
I do know mercy
But my mind is so far gone
Despair has claimed me
Seeking to destroy my very being
An absolute failure
A great and constant failure
An enemy to my own self, me
I seek the path of enlightenment
I seek the path that is right for me
When will my time come?