Todash
by Charles P. Tillery
He fell into an emptiness like sleep
Somewhere between waking and dream
And drifted alone in the darkness
Down a viscous, ink-black stream
His feeble attempts to call for aid
Produced only silence, no scream
He was gaunt and tired and hungry
With a face as pale as cream
Because his blood was drawn from him
Through wounds made by a fleam
His captors were vicious and thorough
They worked on him in teams
Concocting vile contraptions
Employing clubs and blades and steam
But they lost their hold on him
When he slipped between the seams
Where the only sound he heard
Was the splashing of the bream
On their journey between realities
On the path along the beam
Somewhere between waking and dream
And drifted alone in the darkness
Down a viscous, ink-black stream
His feeble attempts to call for aid
Produced only silence, no scream
He was gaunt and tired and hungry
With a face as pale as cream
Because his blood was drawn from him
Through wounds made by a fleam
His captors were vicious and thorough
They worked on him in teams
Concocting vile contraptions
Employing clubs and blades and steam
But they lost their hold on him
When he slipped between the seams
Where the only sound he heard
Was the splashing of the bream
On their journey between realities
On the path along the beam
Charles P. Tillery is the author of the self-published poetry collection, Just a Peek. He was a featured artist in The Hopkinson Journal with the poem "Hidden in Plain Sight." He is currently working in his second poetry collection.