The Nightmare Poem by Deluke Muwanigwa

I dreamed i was screaming
Acidic tears streaming
My burnt out visage
Seeing a mirage
Suspended in mid air
My skin peeling heat singeing my hair
There was a chasm without depth
I could hear people who wept
I was suspended as if waiting for a signal
An oldman stood by a staircase senile
Stone faced despite the heat
Silently saying fall in or retreat
Like i had a voice
Fall in or go up the stairs the choice
Above the howling sounds from the hole
A laughing guttural voice above them all
A mixture of staccato baritone but slow
Like someone drowning trying to talk but no
Felt like he was calling me
And i felt i should let go be free
I decided to oblige
Let go of the urge
To leave
Wanted to live
Woke up
My friend pouring water with a cup
My blanket was on fire
Sleeping too close to the campfire
In the extreme cold
My friend looking old

Not all bad dreams are bad
The dream i had had
Saved my life
On this night
Night of the nightmare.
The nightmare