Black Eyes

It's that old recurring dream where you're drowning Flailing your arms out, fearful and frantic And black waves are curling and pounding Down onto your head somewhere in the Atlantic Through the fathoms below you a shadow Is gliding up towards you with singular purpose And hundreds of thousands of gallons Of ocean froth and foam as it breaks the surface Its black eyes find you almost at once You can't hide, swim away or take air into your lungs To scream for help that won't come And oftentimes I am awoken At three in the morning by screams in the attic I'll run upstairs, wrench the door open Call out a warning (and try not to sound panicked) But my hammering heart hears the voices Of spirits that tempt us, the scorn that they've spoken I'll remember the sad frightened noises Of an old friend who dreamt once of storms on the ocean And black eyes looking up from below --- Black Eyes - David Wirsig