Grabbing Hands

“I had a heart attack on New Years Eve
and whilst it was happening
I had a near death experience.
It was completely pitch black,
there were all these hands
grabbing at my feet and legs
trying to pull and drag me downwards.
Deafening screaming and shrieking,
torturous, beyond pain and earthly suffering.
There is no audio available like it, I’ve looked.
Then I came round in the hospital,
I’ve been a ghost of my former self ever since!”

“That sounds horrific, how do you sleep at night?”

“I don’t, I pass out every few days from exhaustion!”

“Well, at least you’ve been given a second chance
to change your ways, maybe? A warning, perhaps?”

“I was a police woman for 30 years, I hate people.
If you’d seen what I’ve seen you’d hate them too.
You can’t just turn that off like a kitchen tap.
No, there is no changing… only waiting!”

Paul Tristram is a widely published Welsh writer who deals in the Lowlife, Outsider, and Outlaw genres.  He wrote his first poem as a teenager following his release from the (Infamous) Borstal ‘HMP Portland’, and he has been creating Literary Terrorism ever since.  His novel ‘Crazy Like Emotion’ is available to purchase right here . Also his collection of shorter fiction Kicking Back Drunk ‘Round The Candletree Graves' is available to purchase at https://bookgoodies.com/a/B0DFMTSR4F Both books are published by Close To The Bone Publishing. Read other articles by Paul, or visit Paul's website.