NO ADMITTANCE
the rusted door
next to the projector room
—NO ADMITTANCE—
but on Saturday
it was open just a crack,
Billy & I were drawn
to its dark mystery.
Down the iron stairs,
old hull plating
groaning under the force
of ocean waves,
the deck rolling…
how could we have
ended up HERE?
Now chained to the benches,
rowing our steel whale
to the gates of Doom.
Far back in my mind
there is an old theater
and a door, and a sign
warning us to stay away,
but that life is
forever lost upon
these dark currents of time.
HEART OF THE MATTER
(Remembering Robert Bloch)
my private library:
shelves of rows of
jars of dead hearts,
but you misjudge me.
I know an old man
with a far larger
collection…
half of them still
at least partly
alive.
GOOD TO THE LAST DIAMOND
stepping from Beyond
into the jewelry store
at 14th and Main,
a glittery specter appeared
its face unfolded into
a strange magnifying glass,
it flapped its white wings,
turned to face the window,
catching the morning light
sunbeams burned to
an unbearable focus…
spears like lasers swept out
from its silvery eyes
it shrieked with pleasure
as it swept its hot gaze:
shattering the glass cases,
melting every diamond
and drinking their vapors
like a happy flame it danced
then winked out
from the ground up,
and was never seen again.
OFFSPRING
as the kids go
dancing down the steps
with fake ghoulish glee,
my jack-o-lantern winks
and gives off a cloud of
spores…
hoping to make
next year’s celebration
more spectacular.
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Scott Virtes has had over 600 stories and poems published since 1986. His works have appeared in Nature, Analog, Space & Time, Ideomancer, Star*Line, Cafe Irreal, Illumen, and many more. He has two story collections and five poetry chapbooks available. You can watch him die in “Master and Commander,” but he’s okay now. After dark, he may be seen on playing guitar in the San Diego area.
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