DREAM...HOUSE

THERE IS A HOUSE IN THE WOODS,

A House Standing in The Woods Surrounded by Old Trees,

A Path Leading to The Door Covered in Brown Leaves.

The Windows are Wooden, Cracked and Unpainted,

Like The Tiles on The Roof Loose and Quite Dated.

The Pipes on The Guttering held together by Grey Tape,

This House that I See is not Looking to Great.

I Walk towards The Porch, The Front Door now comes Alive,

Spiders in Cobwebs, Flies Fighting for Their Lives.

Looking Down on The Wooden Floor there is a Doormat that Reads,

WELCOME TO MY HOME,

WIPE YOUR FEET PLEASE.

My Heart is Beating Faster and My Body is Growing Cold,

Do I Knock on The Door or Shall I just Go?

I Turn to Walk Away, Floorboards Moving Under My Feet,

The Noise is getting Louder, as I Step on Every Creak.

Looking back over My Shoulder,

In The Window I think I See an Outline of a Figure,

This Now Becomes A Mystery.

I Take Myself Around to the Side,

More Windows appear as I Walk on By.

I Turn another Corner and now I See,

The Back Door Wide Open, is that Meant for Me?

Glancing to the Right a Rusty Car in a Shed,

A Fridge, Oven and Even A Bed.

Some Rats I See Running and Nibbling on Bread,

While Others are Still and Just Plain Dead.

Like a Big Strong Magnet, I Get Drawn to The Door,

It Feels that My Feet are not touching The Floor.

Making My Way in, this House is so Cold,

Silent and Eerie, and Smelling of Mould.

A Kitchen Tap Dripping to the Sound of a Clock,

Tick Tock, Drip Drop, Tick Tock, Drip Drop.

An Old Wooden Table with only One Chair,

Cupboard Doors Wide Open and Looking so Bare.

I Carry on Walking, My Feet Stick to The Floor,

Knife and Forks Kicking and Clanging in a Broken Draw.

This is All I need Noises again, Inside This House Once More.

More Sounds are now Coming from Another Room,

As I Open The Door to a Creaking of a Tune.

A Long Dark Figure I See going Up The Stairs,

My Legs are Now Shaking and I Am Scared.

Two Armchairs by a Fireplace, a Rug laid on The Floor,

Two Pictures on The Mantelpiece of a Family No More.

Smells Around this Room Getting Ever Stronger,

Damp and Death that were Here seems to be No Longer.

Wallpaper coming Away from The Walls,

Revealing Writing that has been Scrawled,

My Eyes Draw Closer and in Red it Reads,

COME UPSTAIRS, DON’T KEEP ME WAITING PLEASE!!

Books Sitting on Dusty Shelves Waiting to be Read,

More Cobwebs hanging from The Ceiling some Landing on My Head.

Curtains Drawn both Tatty and Torn Standing Out by Candlelight,

As I get to the Bottom of The Stairs I Look Up and Get a Sight.

One Step, Two Steps Three Steps Then Four,

I Stop….Take a Deep Breath, Then Move on to do Three More.

Glancing to The Right, I See a Poem on The Wall,

The Title of that Poem SAFE Well that Said it All.

More like UNSAFE as I Reach the Top,

My Heart Beating Faster, it Feels its Going to Stop.

Turning to My Left another Door Beckons Me,

This Figure is Calling on the Other Side Waiting Impatiently.

I Turn The Knob Slowly as The Door Sticks and Creaks,

This Hooded Figure in a Black Cloak Turns around Then Speaks.

“Where Have You Been” in a Gravelly Voice,

I Seem to Recognise,

But Before I Could Speak The Hood Comes Down,

It was Me in Disguise.

“It is Time to Go” Said This Innocent Voice,

“And To Start Another New Life,

Your Body Needs To Give Into Your Soul,

And To Head Towards The Light.”

There is a Bang!!! at The Door,

I Let Off a Loud Scream,

Was it Me That Was The Grimm Reaper,

Or Was it Just a Bad Dream.

But as I Get Up From My Bed,

I Am Wearing a Black Cloak?

Happy Halloween.

© Gary Sydney Hankins…31/10/2020