Excerpt for Seconds To Die by Frank F. Atanacio, available in its entirety at Smashwords






.... Seconds To Die




Death and Dark Poetry











Frank F. Atanacio














.... Seconds To Die































Dedicated to: Alfredo “ Fafa “ Atanacio


and Evelyn Atanacio









































Table Of Content:






1-Muted Chatter 2-The Deadly Way

3-Fueled Her Pride 4-No Protocols

5-Hunger Increased The Pain 6-Marvelous Suggestion

7-Exhilarating Freedom 8-Night Beast

9-In A Frenzy 10-Ghost Shook Her Head

11-Complete The Spoon 12-It Surfaced To Float

13-Death Had It All Arranged 14-Hell Came Here

15-Jail-Time 16-His Pay-Off

17-God’s Dark Eyes Were Somber 18-Soft Kisses

19-Erratic Conversation 20-Coming After You

21-A Flamboyant Amber 22-Casket

23-Fame Or Shame 24-Life Fell Prey

25-God Has Many Reputations 26-Without Any Mockery

27-No One Stood Alone 28-While Kidnaped

29–His Private Darkness 30-Life’s Simple Lessons

31-Feeling The Suicide 32-Seconds To Die

33-The Witches Will Burn 34-Manic Expression

35-No Tears... 36-Death Was Fascinated

37-Confident Demeanor 38-The Souls Stared

39-Nothing More Than A Dream 40-Floated To Heaven On A Dream

41-A Fight With Heart 42-Queen Bee

43-She Delivered Herself 44-Completely Efficient

45-Death Was Served 46-Two Doors

47- Unearthed The Dead 48-No Sound At All

49-Flame Of Excitement 50-Darkness Can Lure A Prey

51-Justified 52-This Game

53-God Shares Your Tears 54-Only A Voice Mail

55-She Felt The Breath Of God 56-Die...
















Table Of Content Continues:





57-Feels No Curves 58-Seemingly Discarded

59-Man Found A Cure 60-When Passion Dwindles

61-The Silence Was Unnerving 62-Cold Breath

63-Emotions Sift 64-We Soared

65-Integrity Of Man 66-Demonically Done

67-A Glorious Warrior 68-Shoes Untied

69-Jenny 70-Last Thoughts

71-No Kingdom Come 72-Deck Red

73-God’s Eyes, Grim 74-His Wish

75-Desired Impact 76-Pressing His Advantage

77-Woefully Inadequate 78-Vampire Attacks

79-Life Was Perfectly Concealed 80-Steady, Steady

81-Haunt Their Dreams 82-Death Had A Curfew

83-Deficiencies 84-Condemnation

85-The Sort Of Doubt 86-Life Stalls

87-Lights Out 88-Our World Of Lost And Found

89-Crime Scene 90-His Mind Cries

91-Diluted Terror 92-Married To The Job

93-Love Is... 94-Hate is...

95-Golden Light 96-Sometimes She’d See His Face

97-A Subtle Gesture 98-Seemingly Through Space

99-In A Flash 100-War Cheers

101-Flames Blew 102-Trust Dies

103-Ghostly Glow 104-Waters Sway

105-Her Lips Poised 106-The Connection

107-Confusion Allowed The Fear 108-Angels Paved

109-Image Haunting 110-War Reward

111-Reckless 112-A Blue Print













Muted Chatter


He walked solemnly toward the green door,

dirty water covered the floor,

stench of burnt skin in the air,

greeted by a priest with gray hair,

but he still showed no fear,

a mix crowd of men and women came to watch him die,

he had no care,

as their faces filled with tears,

and his death may regain their lives,

briefly,

as hatred becomes despair,

in their minds, they thought of the nails

he hammered into his victims’ skull,

and they thought that the system fails,

but after they prayed,

the guilty verdict stayed,

a muted chatter filled the small room,

switch on during the afternoon,

and a quick end emptied the gloom.



























The Deadly Way



Failure at this point

was not acceptable,

he considered a number of options,

one was to run and hide,

deep inside

the cave below the ground,

hoping never to be found,

the other option was to fight,

stay alive into the night,

none of these options seemed palatable,

because vampires just don’t give up,

they hunt their prey,

until the break of day,

but there was no other way,

so he put the gun into his mouth,

without any other word to say,

he chose to leave,

the deadly way.
























Fueled Her Pride



Frantically she looked around

for a way out,

her heart hit the ground,

she couldn’t even hear herself shout,

she could however, out run them,

so she thought,

angling in front of her

they sought,

hoping she’d be caught,

they dropped back as she skidded,

from side to side,

suddenly a burst of speed

fueled her pride,

being a witch put courage on her side,

helplessly they watched,

she made her way down toward a wall of trees,

freedom from the hunters,

is all she see.

























No Protocols



The silence that followed was ghostly,

running after the child was mostly

what they wanted to do,

it was totally dark,

the child heard harsh, labored breathing,

followed by a choke,

then light smoke

filled the air,

the hunters were near,

the child of a witch tried,

he watched his mother die,

on a beam she was tied,

and burned as he cried,

now it was his turn,

to feel the burn,

darkness falls,

death calls,

and life stalls,

and the witch hunters follow no protocols.

























Hunger Increased The Pain



Vampires are predators without flaws,

dark eyes,

demonic claws,

that feed on the weak before they die,

but this vampire didn’t even try,

lips black, always trembling,

but she wouldn’t hunt Mankind,

the leader of the pack would feel the disgust,

vampires were the ones she needed to trust,

so she was left to feed alone,

she blinked and strained,

living on rat blood was just totally insane,

she walked the night,

stayed in the cold rain,

but on humans she would not reign,

no matter how the hunger for human blood increased the pain,

she screamed and turned desperately

toward the sun,

if she couldn’t feed on humans,

her life was useless, so she was done,

to a non-existence was the only place to run.























Marvelous Suggestion



The capacity for terror absorbed him,

he was enthralled with pain,

his victim quivering her lips,

madly, insane,

as he bites off her finger tips,

first gently, then with rage,

and he would let the blood drain

he was an animal who belonged in a cage.

He wore a crucifix around his neck,

thinking he was the one God wanted to protect,

as many women as he killed,

he also thought God had no divine power whatsoever,

her hands trembling badly,

death is coming slowly, sadly,

her fingers mangled,

her mind strangled,

then he leaves her to die,

smiling, as if he made a marvelous suggestion,

told her not to worry in a lie,

but she didn’t even have the strength to cry,

as the vultures watched, from way up high,

the air filled with the smell of blood,

and the hungry birds blanketed the sky.





















Exhilarating Freedom


His body had an exhilarating freedom,

no deficiency,

no blemishes,

smooth as a new born,

almost like an illusion,

an after thought,

an everlasting impression,

a secret confession

of perfection,

God called him Adam,

the boy stared back,

as if God had something he lacked,

but God didn’t know what to believe,

he thought for a moment, smiled,

then he created Eve.































Night Beast



The night beast’s eyes gleamed,

death in it,

so it seemed,

he disliked humans intensely,

and he hated the day immensely,

but stalking Man was his delight,

it was just too bad he could only do it during the night,

he would lunged into blackness,

and quickly pull out their light,

as he held their hearts in both hands,

he was the night beast,

making demands,

preparing for a feast,

as he continues killing Man.





























In A Frenzy



The White Winged Angel was in a frenzy,

as the infant was attacked by a dog,

under the night-light,

the dramatic was such a fright,

it was clearly a horrible sight,

blood on the paws,

blood on his claws

blood on the infant’s sheet,

blood on his tiny feet,

God calling,

trying to get the mother’s attention before it was too late,

life falling,

dog mauling,

and the mother not hearing the divine voice,

she could have avoided this sadness,

she was given a holy choice,

but she was much too busy watching her favorite show,

death was rolling in,

and life on the go,

The White Winged Angel screamed because she did not sense the doom,

as the dog continued killing in the other room,

God now in a frenzy,

the dog mangled,

the child tangled,

and the mother’s memory strangled,

as the child’s life no longer existed,

the dog ran off with fear,

after everything is realized his death would be near.


















Ghost Shook Her Head



He was down in the grave,

the shovel digging,

as the haunting craves,

earth thrown up in a heap,

as the souls sleep,

hands dropped into the casket,

feels around,

and removes all the valuable things,

ghost shook her head,

as the living was stealing from the dead.




































Complete The Spoon


Even with my eyes closed I could see,

that man pressed closely behind me,

his dark muscles covers my olive skin,

and the only light that comes into the bedroom,

was the light shining from the full moon,

as we cuddled briefly to complete the spoon,

the bed springs creaking,

our emotions peaking,

as I bend, we blend.

































It Surfaced To Float



His lips trembling,

face distorted,

feelings contorted,

sudden desperation,

to hide the body,

he accidently shot him twice,

in the back,

it was suppose to be a playful attack,

as fear was pressing on his throat,

covered him like a winter coat,

and after he tossed the body into the river,

it surfaced to float.






























Death Had It All Arranged



Disturbing looks,

her killer dies,

but there was sadness in her eyes,

it was a sadness that went beyond

present circumstances,

they shared glances,

from living to the dead,

his image forever in her head,

it was almost as if she was sad he died,

she stood over the body,

and actually cried,

there was no pretense,

they shared something strange,

he was a killer, deranged,

but death had it all arranged.




























Hell Came Here



He was guilty,

and he knew it,

as he sat in the courtroom feeling smug,

looking at all the stares,

shoulders shrug,

he simply had no cares,

he listened to the whispers,

and he enjoyed all the looks,

they were the fish, and he had control of the hooks,

it was as simple as that,

they were the mice, and he was the cat,

he grunted so the accusing eyes

would fall on him,

and his wonderful lies,

his death was the world’s fantasy,

and he was proud to be God’s biggest sinner,

but when the jurors of twelve returned,

he was the biggest winner,

“ Not Guilty, “ rang through the air,

it was music to his ears,

stained fears,

dried tears,

everything he needed as hell came here!























Jail Time



He seized the moment and acted,

after a couple of seconds of hesitation,

no concentration,

and getting a good look at God’s creation,

he could tell by her actions,

that she was willing to die,

to save her daughter from prying eyes,

he took a rag soaked in gas,

smothered her face,

and let life pass,

he killed with such distaste,

it was such a waste,

but she never told him where her daughter was,

she was near,

very near,

but he didn’t know where,

the daughter bending in hiding,

and he walked away gliding,

didn’t realize she became a witness

who saw the crime,

and in a matter of moments,

he’d be doing real jail-time.






















His Pay-Off ( Trafficking )



He turned to face

his prize,

a young woman,

with soft blue eyes,

light skin,

thin lips,

firm hips,

and an ass that will take,

with no mistake,

hours of pleasure,

his pay-off,

was such a treasure.
































God’s Dark Eyes Were Somber


Trails of humanity torn,

history failed to warn,

the young cry,

the old die,

the sick weak,

the times meek,

nothing given, nothing to share,

as the end of days grow near.

The walk was silent

God’s dark eyes were somber,

but through these days he has forgiven,

because humans were weak,

and forgiveness was all they seek,

God’s voice steady and serious,

he inclined his head,

and a great holiness remains to be seen,

by all the living and all the dead.


























Soft Kisses



He stared at her as she walked from the door,

he was spellbound,

and so much more,

how beautiful she was in black lace,

with a warm expression and a gentle face,

light eyes with a magnetic gaze,

it felt like he was dreaming,

and all this lost in a haze,

for a moment he thought he heard himself screaming,

but then he realized he was bound hand and foot,

he had a vision of his death,

she threw soft kisses his way,

but that was the last of the harmless play,

she cut his wrist and watched him bleed,

almost like a need,

to watch this man die,

and the secrets he held deep inside,

was all the reasons why,

then he slowly turned blue,

and his death vision,

finally came true.
























Erratic Conversations



First,

there was a numbing tremor,

a dull pain,

I heard my name,

I felt a curious shame,

then dark brown eyes

stood over me,

who it was, I couldn’t tell,

because I couldn’t see that well,

and then I felt a bit eerie,

my body weighed, and felt weary,

a loneliness transformed into despair,

blood on my soul,

blood in my hair,

then I heard erratic conversations,

about all my killing sensations,

and that they were glad it was over,

contented looks glared, almost with hateful passion,

The police shot me without compassion,

and for all the evil I have done,

it was my end, and I couldn’t run,

shot over ten times,

and it was the last time I’ll ever see the morning sun.



















Coming After You



The killer slammed the door behind him,

felt that rush of excitement disappear,

he turned and looked into the mirror,

to face his fear,

he stretched his back,

and narrowed his eyes,

he was so angry at himself during the attack,

he stopped when he heard her cries,

that was a big mistake,

he tried smothering the woman’s face,

but her cries were fake,

and she kicked him down,

he screamed on the ground,

then she vanished without a trace,

she got away, and left a scar on his face,

but there was nothing he could do,

suddenly his cell phone rang,

it was her and her message was, “ I’ll be coming after you!”



























A Flamboyant Amber



A flame igniting a flamboyant amber,

foaming water shot through the air,

people on the streets sharing fear,

as the smoke spilled into their eyes,

humid breeze carried the cries,

as the blackness from the smoke filled the skies,

Company Number Two was the last to arrive,

then the horror struck,

penetrated the heart,

visions of sorrow ripped it apart,

A blizzard of eyes stared at the sky,

as a child walked on the roof,

and not ready to die,

apparently was trapped inside,

frustration and anger had its fill,

as each face that looked up was frozen with chill,

as the harsh reality set in,

and the flames punished the building,

knocking the child off,

everyone watched as the child seemed to fall in slow motion,

but through all the mess, and the commotion,

it was Company Number Two who reacted,

They saved the child from the fall,

a life spared and proud emotions standing tall,

as everyone gathered to wish the child well,

then there was a mystery, a strange story to tell,

everyone turned to thank the firemen who knew exactly what to do,

but when they looked around,

there was no Company Number Two.
















Casket



In the casket,

her body started to get restless,

and cold,

crossing into the light,

as she was told,

never happened,

peering eyes,

soft cries,

loved ones wondering why,

as they walk by her and cry,

but death just wouldn’t let her die.

In her mind’s eye,

she remembered how she supposedly died,

the knife was clutched tight

in the killer’s hand,

there was no struggle, and she put up no fight,

there was no flash, and no light,

as she fell face first in the sand,

letting his murderous actions take command,

memories just rocked her head,

and the casket became her permanent bed,

so she lives like the dead,

but her spirit could just get up and walk away,

but she is in the casket,

and has no other place to stay.


















Fame Or Shame



The Hijacker emerged

onto the cock pit,

his face was dark and dangerous,

his eyes

were bulging under religious lies,

looking angry enough to strangle

with the first person who wanted to tangle,

he spat out curse words,

in another language

that would have burned even God’s ears,

voice hoarse,

but the danger nears,

he’s doing it for his God under cloak,

the plane fills with smoke,

and everyone chokes,

he muttered God’s name,

no other explanation.

Fame or shame,

and God’s name in vain.

























Life Fell Prey



It was amazingly clean of rats,

perhaps it was because of her cats,

but her body looked as if she had been

dead for days,

she was old,

weightless, and dry,

she was cold,

thin, and she’d cry,

she had no family to check in on her,

and no friends to stop on by,

she’d fall asleep hoping she’d wake no more,

but the pain from the open sores,

kept her awake and the blood from her pores,

glued her to the floor,

and she was just too weak to heal old wounds,

they would reopen and become painful too soon,

death made progress,

and she was happy about that,

but she’ll miss her pets, mostly her cats,

however her life fell prey,

to loneliness that day,

and that’s how she stayed,

even after she prayed and prayed.





















God Has Many Reputations


A haunting house voice

remained in her mind,

and the spirit cries

echoed in silence,

as the child dies.

Her soul sits in the dark,

poetic reflections, and sentiments

seem to slowly disappear,

along with it, the suffering and the fear,

her father losing faith in God,

as he paced slowly in the other room,

feeding the sadness,

and feeding the gloom,

tightening and un-tightening his aching arm,

he carried his daughter all night long,

trying to show strength,

trying to be strong.

God has many reputations,

A Saint when the sick lives,

A Demon when the sick dies,

nothing in between,

and no credit when he tries.






















Without Any Mockery



The serial killer was as cold as ice,

all his victims paid a price,

his eyes had a ferocity,

and his heart dark,

even the devil had a curiosity,

as he walked the park,

it was late at night,

as murder filled his heart with delight,

but that night,

he simply met his match,

she was young,

but wasn’t that easy catch,

defying the sweat which had broken

from every pore

she too was violent to the core,

with a powerful thrust of his arm,

she fell backwards, but was up again,

and she battled to the bitter end,

until she stood alone

conquered the killer,

without any mockery in her tone.























No One Stood Alone



A hush fell over the plane,

eyes widening, but contained,

white faces,

from all different races,

as they watched the airplane floor,

shimmy and shake,

until it couldn’t rock anymore,

God could see the pain in their eyes,

and he could hear the fear in their cries,

as prayers poured down from the sky,

the passengers were so afraid to die,

they felt the torment,

as clouds rushed by,

everything happening swiftly,

quickly,

they could only see a blur,

God was with them,

so no one stood alone,

as they traveled downward, then upward,

silently to their new home.























While Kidnaped



The lights within,

grew small and dim,

a select family,

and everything so grim,

the sheer terror,

spoke volumes,

the fears,

with no relief,

the tears,

and the anguish settled in,

no sudden sense of safety,

while kidnaped,

neither mind nor body

can endure the pain,

fatigued settled and she felt slightly insane,

your memories of everyone you love,

flashed across your eyes,

carried downstream,

in a river of lies,

and this very memory

would only have you scream,

until your first life dies,

and your second life cries,

as a resurrection awakened

a complex situation,

which she could not escape,

the melody of Mozart heard mostly,

it made her image seem ghostly,

and to listen to it was chilling,

and she prayed they’d just get on with the killing.















His Private Darkness



After the contemplation

she decided wrong from right,

so the devil invited her in,

excited about her sin,

he saw her shimmering

as she entered his private darkness,

her tears like gold,

his eyes cold,

her soul sold,

as it was effortlessly told,

so she stands deflated,

and he stands bold,

she had a childlike face,

eyelids fluttering,

her inner voice stuttering,

as he was ready to fix and subdue,

payment for her suicide was apparently due,

a mounting wave of excitement

washed across his dark features,

he was the hideous of all dark creatures,

she thought there was no other way,

for a cheating wife,

so she chose not to stay,

and she took her own life.




















Life’s Simple Lessons




One


Child sticks doll in the toilet,

flushes

water went up and up,

she quickly hid underneath her bed,

mother comes, then screams,

and that was all she said.






Two


Man standing under a tree,

icicles glisten on a limb,

beneath him crystal clear,

gleaming sight,

warm shining sun,

sets them free.







Three


Wounded eyes that hurt so much,

you did see the skull and bones,

on the can, when you brought the can home,

but when you sprayed the bee’s nest,

you had the can facing the wrong way.















Four



Snowflakes falling,

covers the ground,

mother’s calling,

their kids to come home,

but they play,

on that brisk winter’s day,

you smile as a child falls,

but you fail to hear the other calls,

as a snowball hits your face.








Five



Sizzling logs in the fireplace,

wood crackling,

warmth fills the room,

cozy, nice,

but you locked yourself outside,

in your bathrobe,

while getting the mail,

now you’re just on the outside

looking in.









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