Are You Awake?

In this town earth meets sky
Where expanses of dry black clouds
Muster on top of pines and sycamores and once golden church tops.

No one’s been out since last week, doors watched
And closed by angry spying rain
And the expanses of dry black clouds.

I’m tired of being indoors
Where I listen with fear the raindrops clicking clacking clanking
At my windows, at my door. Do I have anything to keep out the rain?

I remember the old umbrella Dad hid inside the attic floor,
The one with little pink and blue and yellow ducks on it,
That would stop the rain from clicking clacking clanking into my clothes.

I rush out from my blackened room without lamplight
And climb the stairs to the attic. I open a crack on the floor
And there’s the umbrella.

I open it and it clicks into shape, a round dome above me
And I rush downstairs and rush outside and rush into the rain
Clicking clacking clanking at my heels.

But the black clouds frown down and grimace
And glower and groan, and throw at me their lightning staffs
Until I’m cowering under my pink and blue and yellow-ducked umbrella.

If I can’t hide, why don’t I shut the rain down?
If I can’t live under these clouds, why not chase them away?
If I can’t shelter myself, why don’t I destroy the threat?

I abandon the umbrella and I step onto the streets without a care.
I jump I dance I run I yell and I bang on the doors
Of my neighbouring houses which are dowsed wet in rain.

Are you awake? Are you awake? Are you awake?
The rain splatters indignantly in my hair on my face through my clothes
And the clouds reach their golden arms down.

I swirl I leap I dodge I duck their attacks and
I bang on doors of my neighbouring houses
And I yell Are You Awake?

People inside are roused are awake are opening their bleary eyes
Are clearing their minds are seeing their life for once
And they open their doors and see me dancing away in the rain.

I see other faces in the rain but they flicker away in an instant.
They belong to figures under umbrellas and hidden in black overalls.
Their faces are covered, shrouded, hidden with blackness.

I sprint over and clasp their arms and together we arrive
At the next house, a black and mist-shrouded place
Dancing and jeering with raindrops and I bang on the door.

The raindrops roar and they splatter down upon us
And we run for fear that has long been inside us
Building up etched in our blood. It was etched in our blood.

I stop running I turn back I yell to the sky
And my friends accompany me. We are bleeding,
Throwing away drops of misery of pain of fear of of of-

We are throwing away everything we harboured up
In that week of hiding in that past life of bestiality
In that week of eternity in that darkness of ever-after.

There are more and more of us some covered some like me
Some naked in the rain some dressed to head to foot
Some cowering still some hesitating some open wide and laughing.

We knock on doors to houses that are doused by the rain
And we all shout Are You Awake?
Those three words that are etched in our blood, etched in our blood.

We knock on doors to houses that are doused by the rain
And we all shout Out! Out of bed with you lot! Out!
Thunder groans, rain splutters feebly and the clouds are grey.

We knock on doors to houses that are doused by the rain
And we all shout Come! Come to us, come!
The rain is stopping the sun is finally out and the clouds are dissipating slowly.

Are you awake? Are you awake? Are you awake?
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