"The Image I Cast"

The following poem was written by a woman named Lara Treme. The poem was found in her home in Wisconsin in 1987, during an investigation into Ms. Treme's disappearance. She was never found. --SΣ

 "The Image I Cast"
by Lara Treme

In the dark, my image beckoned,
And she called me into Her realm.
I found more than I had reckoned
Behind the glass, in sand, in sound.

In the garden of truth and sand,
Others gathered, called by phantoms.
O, ye mighty, desolate land,
Take me and reflect my actions.

In that heat, there was naught to eat,
And so my meal I had to take
From flesh and bone and hands and feet
And from skin I created shade.

They ran. They ran. They ran. They ran.
But they were fools to run from me.
They were fools to run from Her.
They were fools to run from them.
Run.
Run.
Run but never be free.
Run and know agony.
They catch you for they are shadows
They are reflections
The image you cast
It sees all.
You cannot
Escape
Is impossible.

Run.

Stay.

Give up.

And She let me from Her garden.
She let me go and let me live.
For now I have earned Her pardon.
And so now scales cover my skin.

Cover my sin.

In the mirror,
I live in sin.