Friday 23 November 2007

Manic is the Dark Night by Michael Lee Johnson

Deep into the forest
the trees have turned
black, and the sun
has disappeared in
the distance beneath
the earth line, leaving
the sky a palette of grays
sheltering the pine trees
with pitch-tar shadows.
It is here in this black
and sky gray the mind
turns psycho
tosses norms and pathos
into a ground cellar of hell,
tosses words out through the teeth.
"Don't smile or act funny,try to be cute
with me;how can I help you today
out of your depression?"
I fell jubilant, I feel over the moon
with euphoric gaiety.
Damn I just feel happy!
Back into the wood of somberness
back into the twigs,
sedated the psychiatrist
Scribbles, notes, nonsense on a pad of yellow paper
:"mania, oh yes, mania, I prescribe
lithium, do I need to call the police?"
No sir, back into the dark woods I go.
Controlled, to get my meds.
Twist and rearrange my smile,
crooked, to fit the immediate need.
Deep in my forest
the trees have turned black again.
To satisfy the conveyer.
The Lord of the dark wood.


Michael Lee Johnson, Chicago, USA

1 comment:

Crafty Green Poet said...

Mr. Michael Lee Johnson lives in Itasca, IL. after spending 10 years
in Edmonton, Alberta Canada during the Vietnam War era. He is a
freelance writer, and poet. He has been published in USA, Canada,
New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Turkey, Fuji, Nigeria Africa, India,
United Kingdom, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Michael Lee
Johnson is a member of Poets & Writers, Inc and Directory of American
Poets & Fictions Writers: http://www.pw.org/. He is a member of The
Illinois Authors Directory. Illinois Center for the Book:
http://www.illinoiscenterforthebook.org/directory.html
He has published 145 poems in 2007 to date. He is the author of: The
Lost American: From Exile to Freedom.
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0-595-46091-7.
The book is also listed at Amazon.com, & Barnes & Noble. Visit his
website at: http://poetryman.mysite.com/. He is now the publisher,
editor of Poetic Legacy, http://www.poetriclegacy.mysite.com/ ; and
Birds By My Window: Willow Tree Poems at,
http://birdsbywindow.blogspot.com/. Both publications are now open
for submissions. Mp3 Audio files available on request for any of the
poems.