fear

passing faces carry thoughts
basic emotions
finding me
winding muscles like guitar strings
a fevered rash
I sleep through days
I drag psychic weight

red and black tentacles
from an unnamed enmity
invisible, whip and curl
lick and lash

I was a vibrant prism
now I'm made of mud

in dreams
they are screaming, choking
hiding red pupils
it is always night
awake
I can sense their dark
around corners

in crowds, eyes closed
sharp angles extend inward
an iron maiden
trapping out light
not quite reaching
too much, suffocating
my aura