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SMACK… SPLAT… SLAP… SMACK…
Damn! They were going to hear the sound of his bare feet on the pavement even if they couldn’t see him in the shadows of the old factory! What had happened to his shoes? His memory was a jumbled mess of blurry images… all he knew for certain was that “they” were chasing him!
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CRACK… RUSTLE… SNAP… CRACK…
Running in the forest at dusk was too dangerous! He’d better stop until full dark if he didn’t want to be discovered ~ every footfall crunched leaves or snapped a twig. Breathing heavily, he slid as far under the old tree root as he could get. He covered himself with the detritus of the forest floor and hoped that no animal would catch the scent of blood on him if he fell asleep.
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SPLISH… SPLOSH… SPLASH…
Running through the stream under the full moon left him too exposed. The glint off of the blade of the knife clutched in his left hand might catch someone’s eye. He paused long enough to bury it beneath a pile of rocks in the shallow water.
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CRUNCH… RATTLE… SPLISH… SLURP…
Running along the narrow pebbled bank of the creek sent stones skittering off into the grass and tumbling down into the water. His foot slid along with the tiny rocks and, before he knew what happened, his left foot was sucked into the oozing mud. He fell to his knees in the stream and thrust his hands up to the heavens.
“Help me, Lord!” he cried. “I have sinned but i am asking for your forgiveness.”
But the Lord God refused, telling him “GO TO THE DEVIL, SINNERMAN!”
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HISS… SPLAT… SPLASH…
The smell of sulfur burned his lungs… trying to take shallow breaths, he waded through the stream as it began to bubble and hiss at the edges, his bare feet already blistering on the hot stones beneath the water.
“Lucifer! Lucifer!” he called out. “I beg sanctuary! Tell me what I must do!”
The Devil sneered and said “OFF WITH YOU, FILTH! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!”
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SHUFFLE… SCRAPE… SHUFFLE… SCRAPE..
They had set the wolves on him. He could hear the howling not too far away but his raw, bloody feet could not move any faster. Was it still the same night? Or had he lost an entire day like he had lost his clothes and his memories?
Blood spurting onto walls… onto the sheets… onto him…
red, crimson, scarlet. What you called it didn’t matter.
That bright vermilion spraying all over was the only clear memory he had.
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Clothed in naught but the darkness, ol’ Sinnerman shook his head like a dog, trying to get the sweat out of his eyes. Not that it mattered if he could see. Rejected by both Jehovah and Beelzebub….. he had nowhere to go.
›·• Ψ •·‹
When even Lucifer
has shunned ye….. Oh, Sinnerman,
just what did you do?
›·• Ψ •·‹
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the final paragraph/haikū-senryū haibun portion beginning “clothed in naught…” was originally posted 16 February 2012
the “back story” was published at Microstory A Week 11 April 2012 { my gratitude to Steve Isaak } { revised ever so slightly }
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artwork ~ “Last Angel” Nicholas Roerich
{ public domain }
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lyrics ~
{i think these lyrics are incomplete but hopefully not inaccurate.}
Songwriters: Nina Simone
Oh, Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
Where you gonna run to?
All along dem day.
Well I run to the rock, please hide me.
I run to the Rock, please hide me.
I run to the Rock, please hide me, Lord.
All along dem day.
But the rock cried out, I can’t hide you.
The Rock cried out, I can’t hide you.
The Rock cried out, I ain’t gonna hide you guy.
All along dem day.
I said, “Rock, what’s a matter with you, Rock?”
“Don’t you see I need you, Rock?”
Lord, Lord, Lord.
All along dem day.
So I run to the river, it was bleedin’.
I run to the sea, it was bleedin’.
I run to the sea, it was bleedin’.
All along dem day.
So I run to the river, it was boilin’.
I run to the sea, it was boilin’.
I run to the sea, it was boilin’.
All along dem day.
So I ran to the Lord, please hide me, Lord.
Don’t you see me prayin’?
Don’t you see me down here prayin’?
But the Lord said, “Go to the devil.”
The Lord said, “Go to the devil.”
He said, “Go to the devil.”
All along dem day.
So I ran to the devil, he was waitin’.
I ran to the devil, he was waitin’.
I ran to the devil, he was waitin’.
All on that day.
I cried, power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Power
Bring down (Power to da Lord)
Bring down (Power to da Lord)
Bring down (Power to da Lord)
Bring down (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Well, I run to the river, it was boilin’.
I run to the sea, it was boilin’.
I run to the sea, it was boilin’.
All along dem day.
So I ran to the Lord I said,
“Lord hide me, please hide me.”
“Please help me.”
All along dem day.
He said, “Child, where were you
When you ought a been prayin’?”
I said,”Lord, Lord, hear me prayin’.”
Lord, Lord, hear me prayin’.
Lord, Lord, hear me prayin’.”
All along dem day.
Sinnerman you ought a be prayin’.
Ought a be prayin’, Sinnerman.
Ought a be prayin’.
All on that day.
I cried, power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Go down (Power to da Lord)
Go down (Power to da Lord)
Go down (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Power (Power to da Lord)
Oh woh, power, power, Lord.
Don’t you know.
Don’t you know, I need you Lord?
Don’t you know that I need you?
Don’t you know that I need you?
Power, power, power, Lord.
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my heart's love songs 