Dark, a poem by Lorenzo Palmer

The things that move in the dark move no closer

They hesitate, on the edge of vision,

They run and they scamper and they hide

You can hear them

The things in the dark

The dark itself

The dark holds tight

It does not let go

The dark lives

Dark breaths

Shallow

Vision

Quiet

Then

A scrape and scratch and the screaming of metal

Climb out of your bed!

Turn, run, hide, hit, flail, fall

Down, and the ground is cold

Crawl as the noise increases

Heartbeats booming

Dark all around

Nowhere but here

Only here

Now do you see?

There could be anything

As you scramble across the floor

There could be anything

As you hold yourself close

There could be anything

Anything

So why not nothing?

Why not warmth?

And protection?

Love?

Dark

It loves you.

“I love you”

Turn

Remember

Feel the dark

Feel

Feel

Feel

There!

The light turns on

White walls

A bed

“Come back to bed”

Breathe,

Breathe,

Breathe.

Turn off the lights

Walk, slowly

Then crawl into bed

Surrounded by warm blankets

Surrounded by loving arms

Surrounded by the dark

By the dark

The dark

Dark

Sleep