Sandman Express II

Read Part I of “Sandman Express.”

II.

notice how this scene ends
with an apparition, of course
a wink and a nod and a sip or two
of warm ale, an old trick of the Sandman,
that feral-eyed Merlin chugging across
the world on his train like a mad reindeer
full of fairy dust and coal

we were two totems
wobbling beneath the setting sun,
that old hippie magician and i, in our
patched-up mine cart with nothing
between us but a knapsack and a
half-eaten ham sandwich, as we smashed
straight into that crowd of a thousand dancers
like a wooden ship stuck in a sand trap

the women were topless and glowing
with sweat and rye in the moon tide and
the men were tossing each other in a great
mud pit, deep as all seven seas
“Rhiannon” rang out like a bell through the night
and the man put a feather in his cap,
tossed off his t-shirt and said to me this:

you know where we are?
this here’s the red hen
these people are dancing the dance
of the great carnival of souls
that’s how you summon the god within,
you know, by tapping into the sacred dance
of the sun and stars, the great cosmic
walk of life is right here in this
dank barefoot crawl, now watch ‘em,
he says *throws a strand of
Mardi Gras beads around his
neck and flicks an old doubloon*
when you abandon yourself to
the powers within
you find the need for
control disappears
and that’s the kind of courage
nobody’ll teach you
but it’s also the hardest to learn
and—pay attention, now—if you
never learn it, you’ll never truly live
every act of living
is also an act of surrender

just then i asked the band to
play “Ramblin’ Man,” as a guy with a
muddy hand and a pair of 501’s passed me
an old bison skull straight out of the sand
spilling with the light of the stars
like nothing i’d ever seen

and as i held it in my hand, a dozen
topless dancers around me,
beads like wind chimes
swinging from their necks,
it shot straight to the heavens
and lit up the night like a giant
paper lantern, an exotic flower
made of pixy dust and bone

this is the dance that holds all
times together, the old wizard says from
atop a red rock, and that there’s
how you know *points at skull and starts
crowd surfing on the moonlight*
we were all born knowing who we are
and then we’re made to spend the
rest of our lives forgetting it
it’s an act of cruelty, he says, wiping a
swollen tear from his eye, making you
an enemy of yourself, and the most
monumental task you’ll ever have
is to remember
it’s never too late for
old beginnings

the crowd sunk into a
mad frenzied groove over “Midnight Special”
and the skull glowed like a
white-winged dove out of the green
Sandman appeared and
blew his gunshot horn

 

*Original artwork by T. Blake

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25 responses to “Sandman Express II”

  6. I’d follow a wobbly totem any day! You know…that whole “two (or three or four) heads are better than one” saying? Man frenzie groove!? Oh the vision I’m having of those Sultans of Swing!😀 tnaillirb/brilliant writing from both sides of the mirror!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      • Aside from our daily lives and events taking place around the world, there is a blissful place within our souls which I believe are the answers we all so outwardly search for in others.We we born a complete package, even those born with disabilities (mental or physical) . They are the paths to the other side of the mirror not to burden, but for us to reflect. The soul is a wonderful magical essence! It carries all the tools one needs to be at peace, for self and for others. And U. thank you so very much for supporting my words! I have such admiration for your talent as a writer. When I see your uplifting umbrella on my blog, I am honored! I’m not blind to atrocities. I’ve had my share. But I choose to write a message as my heart sees fit. I know you get this. ❤️☀️🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      • I couldn’t agree more. Very eloquently said! And you are right, it’s being able to experience the peace at our own center–to really be our own best friend–that makes us that much more resilient during times of hardship. Thank you for the lovely words. 🙂

        Like

  8. A lawless Moses parting a sea of red
    delivering commandment number eleven
    from the Book of the Grateful Dead.
    Only to be read at the Summer Solstice
    Wine Fiesta of Malaga by Grand Shaman Fred.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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