Dec 8th – Consumed by fear, he stood as still as the dark night above him

December 8^th – Consumed by fear, he stood as still as the dark night above him.

16.45-16.55

Consumed by fear, he stood as still as it

and held his breath; the stars were holding theirs

and seemed to sparkle less. They seemed to sit

in silent space and feed off life’s despairs.

They waited. His fear was tomorrow’s shine

and tomorrow night’s night terrors would scream

of creeping dread and stifling, choking twine,

of poisoned things that crawl from out of dreams.

At last he exhaled: his breath in frozen rags

coiled and snaked, twisting against the night sky.

His feet were slow to move, in shuffled drags

he trudged his body home, he felt, to die.

But once inside, the curtains drawn, the light

that blazed his house alive put out the night.

 

Inspired by a prompt from here