A Whispering Soul
by
Cuong Dao
Copyright @ 2012 by Cuong Dao
Original cover by Ronnell D. Porter
https://ronnelldporter.wix.com/design
Redesigned cover - Widagdo Saputra
https://covercorpz23.wix.com/sabercore23
“I have planted the seeds, now the challenge is to find some water."
Grateful for such a loving family and the truest friendship on 1/9.
CONTENTS
Day One
Potential
Roots
Forgotten
Frost
Mend
Loathe
Suspension
Simple
Shortcut
Connect
Moonlight
Ecstasy
Gone Missing
Disclaim
Remedy
Honey
The Gathering Place
To Endure
Playmates
Inhumane
My Dear Viper
Toxin
Just A Dream
Charge
Elevation
Carnage
Mastery
Status
Terror
Exile
A Millennium
Smear Sarcasm
Two-Face
Slipping Away
Caffeine
Worth?
Strive
Outward Wits
Bone Dry
"Day One"
Cramped spot for months,
Finally a tunnel of light,
Crying to open windpipe,
Bawls drown a snap,
Covered in white fluid,
Beauties gently wipe,
Pale lady humming lullabies,
Old man distorts face,
Air conditioner on high,
Latch onto gigantic thumb,
A convenient radiator,
Sleepy from warm tune.
“Potential”
Pacing in circles,
Jittery on first night,
Shadowy mansion,
Twinkling starlets,
Future supergiants,
Available light aids
To detect strangers
Trampling onto soil.
"Roots"
A home assembled
With boards of Pink Ivory,
Cold steel crushes it.
"Forgotten"
Remember all...
First moment to crawl,
Bruises from a nasty fall,
Sleep jerks into a bawl.
Remember tons...
Chewing on bread buns,
Squirting water guns,
Days of cartoon reruns.
Remember half...
Soaring, spotty giraffe,
Giggling with zoo staff,
Aches from belly laugh.
Remember some...
Tobacco instead of gum,
Experiment to be dumb,
One downward thumb.
Remember nada...
Cruise sails to Granada,
Mexico for an enchilada,
Invasion by alien armada.
"Frost"
Ice pillars emit a mist,
Rub clingy surface,
Unveils ghastly men,
Pits of stretched mouths,
Frozen screaming,
Azure borders lilac,
Add on blue flames,
A color that melts.
"Mend"
Heart's frosted fragments,
Precise hands pieced together,
Who would thaw the ice?
"Loathe"
Waving a white flag,
Presence fuels her hatred,
Burning cloth stings hands.
"Suspension"
Hushed night in the mansion,
Toddler cuddles with blankets,
Nestles in serene slumber,
Maids exhausted from duties,
Tumble onto bouncy beds,
Canine's unwavering watch...
Entitles snoozing with bones,
No sweet dreams belong
To fair lady of the house,
Posted by the chilly windows,
Glowering into the darkness,
Twisting ring on finger.
"Simple"
Love on the table,
Maybe enough on cable?
Live in a fable!
"Shortcut"
Reality entwines with fiction
Due to cocaine addiction.
Suffer from delusions,
Panic over illusions.
Heart droops from life,
Wedded an unfaithful wife.
Credit cards maxed out,
A worker seizes boy scout.
Judge sentences unstable,
Begging deadbeat as a label.
Silence from empty house,
Recon by a sneaky mouse.
Swarming, filthy mice,
Costly for expert advice.
Suicidal thoughts in motion,
Swallowed by roaring ocean?
Other methods to die,
Plummet through sky.
A sale at guns store,
Raw mess on floor.
Much tedious choices,
Headache from voices.
Battered soul drifts to sleep,
Overdose to sound asleep.
"Connect"
Scour for suitable pieces,
Crucial to the machine,
One fault distorts steady
Charge of Shock Wave gun,
Humming blast links hearts,
Maximum power required
To buzz the entire Earth,
Whoever bears marring pain,
No longer the only one.
"Moonlight"
Mental image of path,
Scenario stole vision,
Can't even trace hand,
Yet dear life lies in it,
Lips arc at the irony,
Stroke surroundings,
Fantasize emitting echoes,
Dolphins' sound waves.
Standing on solid ground,
Above unsealed a crack,
Candlelight for the world,
Black pigments crumble,
Wicked timing of help,
Trapped in this maze,
Lost jewel exposed,
Heavens' hypnotic pearl
Shines on the exit.
"Ecstasy"
Colors glisten sweat,
Her bosom sears iced body,
Such a spicy dance.
"Gone Missing"
Quite the magical trick,
Blip vanishes from radar,
Burrows underground,
Cannot peek at lovely face,
Must be pale from shades,
Cuddle picture frame.
Flashlight dangles on helmet,
Stepping over bumpy ground,
Being here disturbed the peace,
A swarm of shrieking bats,
Dive into a narrow passage,
Heavy heart from dead end.
Eagerly shake magic eight ball,
Fold colorful fortune tellers,
Vexed by pickpocketing gypsies,
Lamp steams from rubbing,
Mist phases into a blue genie,
One wish would be plenty.
Buzzing invention blares,
Cracks under saggy eyelids,
Glimpsing at green digits,
Hammer fist for silence,
Glue the dream back together,
Lamp glows from rubbing.
No clues lead to long walks,
Kicking stones bruised toes,
Fire ants gnaw on ankl
es,
Insects scatter from lighter,
Pus oozes over burned hair,
Turtles crawl to clinics faster.
Quite the magical trick,
Blip vanishes from radar,
Burrows underground,
Cannot peek at lovely face,
Must be pale from shades,
Cuddle picture frame.
"Disclaim"
Wooden picture frame,
Posed at a football game,
Years before glorious fame,
Now people google her name,
Being near would bring shame,
None other than myself to blame,
A sloth individual with no aim,
Zero valuable assets to claim,
Not even one puppy to tame,
High debt evident of lame.
"Remedy"
Call the fool,
A heated verbal exchange,
Derange proper order,
Disorder with speech.
Call the fool,
Refusal to be quiet,
Riot on a daily basis,
Homeostasis unstable.
Call the fool,
Swallow a happy pill,
Chill until effects end,
Suspend tantrums.
Call the fool,
Pretty girl nearby,
Shy to approach,
Brooch in hand.
Call the fool,
Cowed for a year,
Spear pokes butt,
Strut toward miss.
No longer the fool,
Bad temper dissolved,
Involved with others,
Mothers at dinner.
"Honey"
Ensnare buzzing bees,
Wait to harvest sweet nectar,
Failed without the Queen.
“The Gathering Place”
Tropical Island,
Sprinkling rain on cloudless day,
A Double Rainbow.
"To Endure"
Rugged body hunches,
Imitating the hunchback,
Spitting blood in mouth,
Straighten posture to reveal
Stained mold of ribcage,
Bones poke at the dermis,
Oxygen prickles lungs,
Lips twitch at the pain,
Wounds deemed trivial,
Eager to handshake
A War Hero who bears
The Medal of Honor.
"Playmates"
Capture prime crickets,
Spin female head to provoke
A fight to the death.
"Inhumane"
A shadow approaches,
No fear of feral beasts,
Leather whip in hand,
Snapping across cages,
Growls turn to whimpers,
Smirking at the change,
Frigid water sprays,
Fur burned by sparks,
Laughter echoes before
Complete darkness,
Grind bars for dinner.
"My Dear Viper"
Rustles in the bushes,
Stopped on pebbles,
Snowy ears wiggle,
Winds howl or hiss?
How bunny shrugs?
Hopping along the
Descending horizon,
Streaks of crimson,
Blobs of old gold,
Sprinkles of indigo,
Tingling chill channels.
A turn to toasty nest,
Snuggling kits rest,
One more leap to...
Plunge into gravel,
Sandpaper enwraps,
Constricting bubble
Pops with a squeal.
"Toxin"
Lethal venom flows,
Infected spot flushing rose,
Not even he knows.
"Just A Dream"
Mattress shifts,
Body stirs,
Rousing aromas,
Sizzling bacon,
Roasting ham,
Toasting bread,
Chase scents,
Passed portraits,
Peculiar lady,
No eyebrows,
Oak table,
Four plates,
Polished utensils,
Must stretch
Before meal,
Muscles bulge,
Pumping blood,
Intake air,
Morning sight,
Lake contains
Crystal water,
Bouncing beams,
Admiration disrupted,
Distance beeping,
Surroundings distort,
What’s reality?
Labored breathing,
Hazy glimpses,
Smudgy edges,
Finally spot
Collapsing machine,
Tangling cords.
"Charge"
Strap on steel armor,
Clamp clanging cleats,
Clench cold gauntlets,
Clasp reflective shield,
Slip on horned visor,
Grasp razor-sharp rapier,
Beckon black warhorse.
Bone horns blown,
Mixed with neighs,
Steeds on hind legs,
Kick into a swift gallop.
Enemies within range,
Dots of whistling missiles,
Shadows of death fall,
Bouncing off slick plates,
Random, dead-on arrows,
Piercing blows jolt grip,
Wailings soon muted
By crunching bones.
Cannot slow down rush.
Pure, fortunate dash,
Sight of raven pavises
With protruding spears,
A leap of insane faith,
Blade slices the air,
Several paralyzed fellows
Sprouted fountains,
Mount stomps tenderness,
Hollow dents on alloy,
Just imagine a stampede.
A brave foe jumps,
Tackled off saddle,
Tumble into a roll,
Dig buckler into soil
To stop momentum,
Trusted instincts to swing
Hilt into a spacious arc.
Swarming foot soldiers,
Sever unprotected thighs,
No notice of spattering blood,
Impulsive, survival mode,
Blurry tunnel vision,
Beheld as a monster,
Dread filling each soul,
Feet shuffle backwards.
Spring into a frenzy,
Strikes rend limbs,
Spinning forearms soar,
Sprinkling showers of gore,
Cool the steaming body.
Edge clashes on disk,
Collision shattered arm,
Ram aegis into face,
Breathing or slain?
No time to double check.
Block rapid thrusts,
A dropkick from side,
Skidding over gravel,
Rounded piece slides,
Drops far from reach.
Clutch pebbles to toss,
A second of distraction,
Shove tip into skull,
Cracking dense tissue,
Lifeless eyeballs bobble,
Oozing bodily fluids.
Adrenaline dissolved,
Sweat beads on black eyes,
Straining to breathe,
Crimson water seeps
Through metal gloves,
Trickling into the puddle.
Vision dims into fuzziness,
Stretched shadows jouncing,
Much echoes of whooping,
Lips widen into a grin
Before finally collapsing
Onto historical grounds.
"Elevation"
Rising air suffocates,
Simmering water vapor,
Treacherous mountains.
Dense clouds blur sight,
Mind spins in dizz
iness,
Giddiness drown senses,
Intoxicating bubbles,
Burp to reject toxin.
Now for steep decline,
Bodies roll over rocks,
Ankles twist into sprains,
Tearing elastic muscles,
Tissues ripped from bones,
Dark, purple swellings,
At least medical aid
Stationed at the base.
"Carnage"
A hovering circle of hues,
Accelerates twirling to fuse,
Merging atoms cannot diffuse,
Excessive greed for clues?
Demon born with tattoos,
Lusts blood more than booze,
Instant counter to any bruise,
Trampling steel-toe shoes,
Nothing except shell to lose,
Everything to brutally abuse,
Destruction after restful snooze,
Erupting bomb spews
Metal, scorching screws,
Killed all working crews,
Teary folks vocalize blues,
Instant prints of worldnews,
Feds take aim to accuse,
Blinded by crafty ruse,
What a pathetic excuse!
Miscalculations of whose?
No arrests on tonight's news.
"Mastery"
The floating citadel from lore,
Summoned by magical corps,
Secrets lie behind the iron door,
Levitating gem glows in its core,
Continuously sustained by four
Impish sorcerers clasping hoar,
Slain an ancient, mystical boar,
Arcane elements flow in its gore,
Lick a globule to lust for more,
Supernatural enhancements pour,
Enchanting abilities greatly soar,
Meteors blast at the forest floor,
Remains only a sole, living spore,
Death changes course for war.
"Status"
Earth spins on its axis,
Techniques to cipher time,
Superb methods in one area,
May be inferior to another,
Relentless stomping on pride.
Gather to exchange ideas,
Instead... a bickering fight,
Fists pound upon tables,
Pointing fingers sever truce,
Of course everlasting war.
"Terror"
Incoming madmen,
Spreading death,
Charging past bullets,
Explosions shake,
Courage plunges,
Fear clutches balls,