The Dead

Past deaths haunt those who walk between lives
Lost in the horror of a body's wretched end
Trapped in a past where all pain's amassed
Oblivious of impulses to live once again.

They infest our dear houses and rot in our streets
Numb to bright sunshine, to darkness and mud
Where the casually alive see only blank peace
Lies agony so cold it could crack living blood.

A serene landscape glows with natural ease
Birdsong and squirrels flutter gently through trees
While the countless invisibles embedded within
Shriek their damnation in inaudible din!

Giving haste to you living; inspiring your fright
Barely aware, you seek unknowing for light
Imaginations all fired with creations inspired
By unbodied carriers of unwholesome plight.

O screaming souls! Unbodied beings!
How can I coax you to join me in life?
O darkened spirits, I know you:
For once I was dead too.