Fear

monsters in my head
clamor at the gates of hell
screaming to be let out
–
the hiss of rain-
slow scratching
under my bed

the edge of the moon
nicks the night sky and reveals
the bare hint of light
–
cloaked in darkness-
betrayed by
a cigarette

shut in this fortress
long days spent looking over
my kingdom of sand
–
rising tides-
my castle begins
to crumble

the burning red orb
casts its gaze about the land
hard and unblinking
–
ragweed-
my eyes swollen
and gritty

moonlight in the trees-
silently a cold wind shifts
shadows on the snow
–
long shadows-
the warm wind
walks me home

ghosts of the future
block my way and haunt me with
all I could have been
–
heavy rain-
our great oak
uprooted

building my fortress
I bury my emotions
beneath the first stone
–
cacophony-
late night frogs
in my stone walls

alabaster skin
flush with the pain of pleasure
however fleeting
–
lilacs in bloom-
bees harbored
in the blossoms

out with the mistress-
his rose garden wilting in
the seething sun
–
my delicate rose-
thorns buried
in my skin

hiding from the sun
living in the shadows while
I curse the darkness
–
the moon obscured-
my ancient thirst
unslaked