nightmare in daytime

in my dreams della reese died while co-hosting 'the view'

she was there
talking, joking, laughing
very t.v. business as usual

and then
as the end of the show grew nearer
i saw
from the far right-hand side of the screen
a hiccup
a head jostle
the movement

her eyes closed
as she told herself
no
no
this isn't happening

i could see it in her face
the confusion
the denial
the almost would-be anger

this isn't my time
this certainly isn't my place

it was brief, fleeting
momentary

she was with us
before the end
but taken
in a heartbeat

the other women
more or less blur-shapes to my consciousness
sensed the possibility
of something awful
wrong

"a component is not right here"
blur-shape barbara thought at once

"what is this bitch going through?"
blur-shape joy pondered as well

della reese shook herself
the last thing she would do
just slightly

not even a shoulder roll
a tensing of the eyes
her fight before the silence

it was all very sudden after that

a commercial break
instant

but somehow
a re-wire mistake
as the promos ended accidentally
and 'the view' feed transmitted back to earth

yet now
instead of corn flakes
was the madness

a close-up
rosie crying
begging
holding della's head
no! how! no!

chaos everywhere
off-camera

insanity all around them
unseen horror madness

a brief glimpse
back to the studio
live t.v.
the tears and the terror

a death broadcast to the world

showed della reese's eyes
not peaceful in the slightest
but vacant
emptied
stolen all at once

in my dreams della reese died while co-hosting 'the view'

it was awful
but i woke up
and all was still again