Reaching For Xanadu Poem by Kurt Philip Behm

Skeletons rule the attic,
rooks have left the board
emptiness I can't explain,
darkness untoward

Lapses in my memory,
lyrics left unsung
chasing all those things I'm not,
orphan on the run

Monday turns to Thursday,
Tuesday, Wednesday lost
time on fire, burning fast,
sanity the cost

One last chance for freedom,
pathway to the cliff
to jump into my deepest fear
—or sink in this abyss

(The New Room: February,2022)