Perchance to Dream

Shadow figures from depths below,

Clawing at me with blades so slow.

Teeth grinding, whispers of fear,

Echoes in shade, drawing near.

Lost in a maze, no escape,

Bound by horrors draped shape.

Lush gardens where hopes renew,

Bright with moss, this my view.

River flows with unbridled call,

Hoping to take, hoping to stall.

Guiding through dreams reprieve,

This place creates for us to believe.

Soft shade drift in tranquil haze,

Some matte gray in this place.

In this space, no fear or cheer,

Just the still calm, nothing clear.

This void where time is still,

A chance to dream, without frill.

With each dawn echoes stay,

Sunlight waking, this is the day.

Reality bends to shapes anew,

By the dream we once knew.

Memories bend to dreams cast,

In dream lights grasp, hold fast.

Portrait of the mind takes shape,

Bewitched promise with escape.

Dusk with dawn begins to entwine,

Weaving through soul’s design.

Fragments of the world unseen,

Creating truths, perchance to dream.

© Dereck Pritchard, 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author. Partial excerpts require written permission.

Ode to Misplaced Keys

Hark! Wherefore hast thou fled,

Thy trusty keys, once at stead?

O’ vexing sprites, thou takest flight,

To hide from me in darkest night.

Didst thou slip from pocket so wide?

Or in yonder drawer dost thou abide?

Perchance beneath the couch doth ye rest,

Or hath the cat claimed thee for jest?

Didst thou falleth underneath the red Toyota,

Or perished in twilight nights existential quota.  

Keys, Keys, wherefore art thou, keys,

Maybe thou art in slumber, deep freeze

Methinks I’ve reached the end, I fear

Didst thou ghost take it, my dear. 

Perhaps it groweth its own legs to walk,

Ne’er seen such a thing, I will not balk. 

Methinks I’ll find them again soon,

Before night comes, with new full moon. 

I must goeth soon, before wagon arrives,

Nourished bones, as the clock strikes fives.

O but what is this? Thou art a spare. 

Spared my hair from turning bare. 

© Dereck Pritchard, 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author.
Partial excerpts require written permission.

Beneath the Pale Moon

Dark skies swell with restless crows,

the pale moon rests like a coin on velvet,

stars lean close, murmuring in cold light.

Shadows stretch thin across the earth,

under the moon’s steady, unblinking eye.

I walk the road, chasing something unnamed.

Reflections rise from half-lost years,

voices tangled in the midnight wind.

Thoughts drift like brittle leaves down an empty street.

Dreams catch on threads of faint silver,

the air grown heavy with a quiet glow,

guided by constellations I can’t name.

In the dark sky, the moon keeps vigil,

casting light on the things I still dare to want.

By night’s end, my chest loosens,

the moon caught in the branches, keeping still.

© Dereck Pritchard, 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author.
Partial excerpts require written permission.

Armor of Loss

A hollow vessel in my place,

I wish I could see your face.

Up at night sinking with grief,

I hope this grief feels brief.

Shadows linger in the empty room,

Where you were, shadows loom.

Feel the void, pit in my gut,

Not your fault, my heart is shut.

Thoughts do blur, can feel them slip,

Won’t forget though, mind can’t skip.

Hopes for current day, where we stay,

When I see you again, o we will play.

Shadows dance where light laid,

Your sweet smile, never afraid.

We dance again, in the starry sky,

One day we will, with us flying high.

Grief, the weight I bear yet not alone,

Brought life to laughs, much is known,

Binding souls together, keeper of hearts,

This, where you belong in these parts.

© Dereck Pritchard, 2024. All Rights Reserved. Okay to share in full with clear credit to the author. Partial excerpts require written permission.