Revelation by Howard Brown

 

Revelation 

It was only a dream, and I was fully
aware of that fact, even as I dreamed
it.  Yet the absolute verisimilitude of
the nocturnal fantasy was such that,
moment to moment, I was enmeshed
in its unsettling narrative.

Transported to a vast subterranean
landscape, initially I was alone, adrift,
and plagued by a vague sense of angst. 
Unable to rouse myself from this torpor,
at length I saw a figure in the distance,
apparently moving in my direction.

The figure was mounted on a steed, yet
not just any ordinary mount, but one
resembling a dragon, belching fire
and roaring as it began to close the
distance between us. 

Then I heard my name being called and
began to run, but to little avail, as I could
soon feel hot breath upon my back. And
there was the faint smell of brimstone in
the air.

At length, I came to an escarpment, one
I could neither climb nor find my way
around.  So, reluctantly, I turned to face
the horror that lay behind me and, lo,
found myself looking into a mirror!

___

Howard Brown lives on Lookout Mountain, TN.  His poetry has appeared in Burningword Literary Journal, Printed Words, Blue Collar Review, Tuck Magazine, The Beautiful Space, Pure Slush, Truth Serum, Poetry Super Highway, Old Hickory Review, Devil’s Party Press, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Fleas on the Dog and Lone Stars Magazine.  He is the author of two collections of poetry, i.e. “The Gossamer Nature of Random Things” and “Variations in the Perception of Color.”  His poem “Pariah” won first place in the poetry division of the 2015 William Faulkner Literary Competition. His short fiction has appeared in Louisiana Literature, F**k Fiction, Crack the Spine, Pulpwood Fiction, Extract(s), Gloom Cupboard, Full of Crow and Pure Slush.

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