There she stands
Dressed in black
Lie amongst the wreck
For her vengeance
She is back
Lie amongst the wreck
…
She holds my hand
In the dark of the night
She’s a lie tonight
She laughs and plays
With my plight
She’s a lie tonight
And the truth bows down
To her might
She’s a lie tonight
Down my spine
She sends a fright
She’s a lie tonight
…
There she stands
Dressed in black
Lie amongst the wreck
For her vengeance
She is back
Lie amongst the wreck
Days and months and years on end
Never thought I’d find someone
Went ahead and made a hundred friends
Only to lose the most faithful one
A black rose blooms under the sun
In a garden with all the pretty red ones
Blessed with thorns a-one too many
While the others hardly had any
A man walking past the garden said
“Is that rose alive or dead?
Does it even matter though?
Why was he born? Would God even know?
Or would he?”
Hey, black rose. You’re as good as a dead man would be to me
…
The black rose wished he was in some other land
Where other black roses would call him a friend
And sometimes he wished he was all alone
The whole world, then, could be called his home
Everyone told him that he must change his skin
If he were to fit in their rosy team
He must change and mend his ways
Or be prepared for harder days
As they foresee
Hey, black rose. You’re as good as a dead man would be to me
…
He never listened to anyone and went ahead and led a lonely life
Pain and sorrow sought him like a butcher seeks his knife
While the red roses led jolly lives and had a merry time
And they grew up quick and strong. Happiness was their crime
They said they cared about him, as it goes
Even though he wore a black sheep’s clothes
But he refused to believe their words, as it went
The odds were changing each and every moment
Daily
Hey, black rose. You’re as good as a dead man would be to me
…
Now, on some terrible lonely night
He did see his final light
He went back out just as he had came
Lived in misery, died in shame
And then at the heaven’s gate
He found out that he was a little too late
The gates had been tightly shut
Only the doors of hell await
For him and for me
Hey, black rose. You’re as good as a dead man would be to me
There you are, in your pretty world
Away from all the pain and sorrow
Here I am, lost and broken
Wishing I wouldn’t wake up tomorrow
…
There you are, building colonies on Moon
Like a budding astronaut
Here I am, broken and lonely
Losing everything that I’ve got
…
There you are, like a queen
Laughing at a pauper like me
Here I am, where I always was
And where I always will be
Feed, feed the starving mouth
Let him prosper and reign
Hunger does no good except
Bring a lot of pain
…
Make his wishes come true
Give him all he needs
All that you will reap tomorrow
Are but, today’s seeds
…
Feed, feed him all day
Feed him all night
Let him grow up healthy
With muscles and might
…
Make all his wishes come true
Please him, spoil him if you must
You wish he would understand
The horrors of quenching his thirst
…
What if he turns around and bites you?
And I’m sure someday he will
He is beyond your control now
But you aren’t learning still
…
Feed, feed the starving mouth
Feed him till he can be fed
And soon watch yourself destroyed
By the monster in your head
Shadows dancing on a pole
Fire rising from a hole
Decorated men with coloured eyes
Dancing ’round a sacrifice
For a sinner amongst the saints
…
The howls of the night
Have overcome the light
And have arrived here first
To quench a fabled thirst
Of a sinner amongst the saints
…
The clouds create a passage
The smoke sets the stage
The Gods are descending
A lone wolf is standing
With a sinner amongst the saints
…
The celebrations will go on
Until the next dawn
Which will never come
What have I become?
A sinner amongst the saints
My doctor told me that I wouldn’t
Make it through the night
My son told me that I shouldn’t
Give up without a fight
…
I said, “It is hopeless”, as I
Surrendered to my bed
I asked him to go outside and
Play with his friends instead
…
He didn’t want to go outside
He wanted to stay with me
He promised to keep me safe
As long as it could be
…
He shut the door, as it turned dark
Turned off all the lights
“Death couldn’t find you, Dad”, he said
“In the dark of the night”
…
He also shut the windows
Checked for monsters under the bed
If he ever found one
I’m sure he would slay them dead
…
He could tell I was worried
By the look upon my face
He began to tell me tales
Of God’s love and His grace
…
He talked and talked for hours
And finally fell asleep
Right next to me in my bed
Making my heart weep
…
The tiny fingers on his hand
Are now resting on my chest
I kiss him on his forehead
And wish him all the best
…
I feel so sorry for my little boy
I ain’t leaving behind much for him
I hope he finds his way around
My end is where he begins
…
May he grow up to be a fine man
And make his Daddy proud
There won’t be any star with my name
I’ll watch him from the clouds
…
The night has prepared itself
So quiet and serene
Death is ’round the corner
With her tambourine
…
Soon I’ll hear the sound of footsteps
And a grave knock on the door
In a moment, everything will change
Nothing will be like before
…
Though I do owe Death a favour
For all that she has done
Letting me have my last breath here
Away from all but one
…
And I couldn’t be grateful enough
To Death for keeping me warm
I’ll climb the stairs to heaven
While in my little boy’s arms
My daughter wrote a poem for me
With crayons, red and blue
I did not even read it
Forgot to say, “Thank you”
…
It tore her heart in pieces
But she didn’t complain at all
She swallowed her sorrow and didn’t
Let a tear fall
…
There, she lays in her bed
Smiling, but in pain
I don’t know if she’ll ever
Write a poem for me again
When men are so frightening
What bad are ghosts?
They do not ruin your day
Or come out in the light
They only seek a little company
In the dark of the night
…
They cannot hold a knife
Let alone a gun
They cannot even scare my daughter
Forget about my son
They do not own a truck
And run it straight into people’s hearts
Or plant a bomb in a shrine
And watch everything fall apart
They do not hold hostages
And let innocent blood shed
All they really do is
Ensure you’re a little scared
They never even make it
To the top of any headlines
I wonder sometimes if it’s them or us
That isn’t blessed with a spine
…
If you were to ask me
Who do I hate the most?
I’d say when men are so frightening
What bad are ghosts?
Hold me close. Stay with me
Don’t ever leave my side
I understand you so well
I don’t need words or language
Look at me. Blink with me
Tell me what you see
If my eyes can tell a tale
A decaying empire I shall build
For you
…
It is time to take a breath
Lay rest to all the doubts
When the rains will put
The fire in my heart out
…
Hold my hand. Dance with me
All around the world
Let nature unfold in front
Of you and me and nobody else
Walk with me as we used to
Without a care in the world
None of these moments will return
Even death can’t tear me apart
From you
…
It is time to take a breath
Lay rest to all the doubts
When the rains will put
The fire in my heart out
…
Inside the madness of my mind
I feel trapped and burdened
Every day is a new battle which
I must fight to survive and live
An ocean sparkles in the night
Away from all mortal eyes
A hundred years have been wasted
And a hundred more lie in waiting
For you
…
It is time to take a breath
Lay rest to all the doubts
When the rains will put
The fire in my heart out
Frank Solanki 