Half Life Red

A rhyming ramble where a wheel in the local park leads to the author blending the worlds of here and now and then and there. The first of a series of playing with colours.

I met a red-faced running man dressed all in red,

red was his nose and red was his head

red was his bottom and red were his toes

the latter of course I can only suppose.

Red was his heart and so was his liver

He carried a red spear in a bright red quiver

I saw he was running from red ragged hounds

and warriors in chariots screaming red sounds.

They caught him, pinned him fast as a flare,

his red admiral arms outstretched in despair.

Then from his throat came  a terrible moan,

red flecked spit, tuberculoid foam.

He stumbled and staggered, fell on his side,

a red stain straining through his red stained strides

It was then i noticed the red marks on his neck,

the red plague spreading, his red race wrecked.

The red running man would be red faced no more

his heart would turn grey, his liver, his balls.

Then as i stopped my wheeling and ranting,

the red faced runner passed by me panting

We locked eyes for a moment both pitied and  puzzled,

i wanted to stop him and give him a cuddle.

But it was too late for that  and then he was gone,

never knowing the adventures we’d  lately been on.

For that was in a place a million miles from here

on a red clay island with a sunken red pier.

But wait……

He must have realised something weren’t right

The red faced man took to a bike,

He’d only been for a run in the park

but the red robed charioteers had left red ribbed marks.

He cycled, rode past me looking askance

Cautioning me, willing me “keep your distance”.

That i could not do, the magic was in my sight

Not spells, or curses or the foreplay of wights

Simply the way i lived, most of the time

One foot in the present another offline

Most often I just note it and move on my way

This time I wanted desperately to make it stay.

So i grabbed hold, jumped him and fell on his back

Yelling Banzai Banzai Attack, Attack!

I bit into his neck to find the red blood

The red plagued corpuscles felt juicy and good

I held him down till his body was drained

The bike spun away clattered, unchained

Slowly in time all came to rest

As the red red sun set in the red red West.

Surely that’s wrong I sleepily thought

This half life’s confusing

So bloody and short

.

At others it rings as clear as a bell

And I can see taste snuffle and smell

But today is not one of these I suppose

As lay down on him and sought my repose.