Turbula - Poetry - At Night

David Fraser lives in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island. He is the founder and editor of Ascent Magazine, Aspirations for Artists, published since 1997. His poetry and short fiction have appeared in 28 journals, including Three Candles, Regina Weese, Ardent and Ygdrasil. He has recently published a collection of his poetry, "Going to the Well," and another of his short fiction, "The Dark Side of the Billboard." David is currently the BC Federation of Writers Regional Director for The Islands Region.

At night my body goes
to places where I sweat,
my skin coated with this acid tainted,
purging toxins of the day.
The morning sheets, pillow slips
pile up,
crumpled clothing of this other world
with remnant stains
of battles won and lost.
These exits make me wonder
which side is real,
question how I descended into my sleep.
Do I go deeply into water,
levitate in air, or
burrow in the earth?

I go in the fever of the night
leaving soiled solutions,
flakes of skin
as if emerging like a snake
sliding home, fresh and pure,
newly formed.