The Ferryman

The weight of the world,
has settled at last.
The world shifted on,
as I fall to the past.

I open my eyes,
but they do not obey.
A copper taste in my throat,
and the sweet scent of decay.

I can hear splashing,
so faint it’s a dream.
I can also hear breathing,
and I just want to scream.

My arms will not listen,
when I tell them to lift,
and something is scraping,
with small groaning shifts.

The breathing is closer,
and the breath is so foul.
It’s trying to speak,
but it’s voice is a growl.

I’m trying to scream,
but my voice is a squeak.
Then my blood runs cold,
as it finally speaks.

“Payment”, it growls,
in a gravely tone.
And then I feel it’s touch,
and shiver to the bone.

The shape shifts away,
and the weight is now gone.
I open my eyes,
and am blinded by the dawn.

I blink at the figure,
hunched over the oars,
and stare out at the water,
looking for shore.

I want to ask the question,
but then I see his hands.
There’s no doubting the decay,
of limbos ferryman.

He drops the coins from my eyes,
and they fall at his feet.
They clink among thousands,
that are mounded to his seat.

The oars dip the water,
as fire blooms in the sky.
We move slowly towards it,
and I understand why.

Seems I have more to pay,
and the bill has come due.
I hear the ferryman whisper,
“I don’t envy you”.