Red

This poem was originally published on 4 August 2016.

When I was a little lad,
I slipped into the duvet,
And hit my head,
Against the bed,
Yet kept tumbling away.

I landed like a lifebuoy,
In a sea of green people,
But I was blue,
And I was strewn,
As they stirred an upheaval.

I settled on the sand,
Like a single wet footprint,
To just be washed,
My insides sloshed,
Like expired peppermint.

Then I woke whole,
With my heart in my mouth,
I cringed,
With a twinge,
Just to spit it all out.

But I ran into a red world,
With black shapes raining down,
I scuttled,
I snuffled,
And closed my eyes to get out.

I rose pale, perspiring,
From the waves of the duvet,
I was dripping,
I was kicking,
But I’d be okay.