Today is the release of the short story, My Last Year, in the voice of Nounous.
Nounous is a fourteen-year-old Maltese dog who loves people but loves his mother most. As he takes his last steps, he reminisces on life and worries about leaving his Mommy alone.
His mother fears the day she must say goodbye to her best friend and muse.
My Last Year by Nounous
https://amazon.com/dp/B0CCT2S9LQ/
The sand is soft beneath my feet.
I’m sure I’ve found a pleasant treat.
A metal door swipes across the sky,
removing the sun from the blue sky.
Trapped in a replica of my town,
I watch the sand become dark brown.
My longed-for peace won’t be won
since I’ve trusted the wrong one.
PREY FOR THE DEAD
Fingers from heaven
Reach for the shore.
Crooked shafts of light
Electrify the dark sky.
The clouds circle closer.
The rain falls harder.
The howling winds follow.
The waves rise up in fright.
The end is in sight.
Frozen in place.
Dripping tears for centuries.
Memories of a lifetime.
Praying for salvation.
A frown for eternity.
Will her tears sprout
a garden for The Dead?
THE DEAD GAME
Snowbound at the inn,
no one can get in,
besides the cursed one
who has already won,
by picking off bodies,
one by one.
MEET ME IN MAINE
by Susanne Leist
A town where the snow is black,
bringing coldness & fear.
Old remnants of tears held back
& times too hard to bear.
Woven from black sheets of rain,
fear covers in disarray.
Anguished & frozen with pain,
dark petals fall in dismay.
THE DEAD GAME SERIES
Alexander Calder, Sumac V. 1953.
A glow in the night
will lead me astray
from the moon’s light
to where I can’t say.
Bloody prints mark the way
to a small town on the shore.
At the end of the day,
we are at the devil’s door.
Time has no meaning or reason.
You can travel forward or back.
Death will follow with each season.
It is past time for me to pack.
THE DEAD GAME by Susanne Leist
You tell me there’s nothing to fear
since The Dead will soon be here.
Waves cascade to the shore.
I don’t believe The Dead’s lore.
Nothing can ruin this paradise.
Yet, cold fear runs through me like ice.
Now, the winds quicken their speed,
but I still refuse to heed.
I give a last glance at the trees,
and they are falling to their knees.
THE DEAD GAME by Susanne Leist
The tree appears dark and looming.
It could use some proper grooming.
I want to take a walk between its legs,
growing tall from the ground like giant pegs.
By its rules, we must strictly abide.
Imagine the secrets it must hide.
Come walk with me in its dark shade.
Through the fallen leaves, we will wade.
A canopy of leaves above our heads
As we fall asleep in our leafy beds.
