Nightmares

Last week, my friend and fellow poet Henry Clemmons posted a poem about nightmares. This afternoon when I sat down to write his poem was still in my head, so I thought I'd run with it. Thanks Henry; and please, poets, send your week's thoughts to dVerse OpenLinkNight!

Nightmares

The night-fears return,

a little green man

with clicking teeth

and omnipotent eyes,

fingers pungent red

gripping a corner, any corner,

leveraging a feline pounce

to send me running,

running, I cannot see

my unsteady footfall

pounding on

and on —

terror, stale-tasting

like motionless basement air,

and if it weren’t for nightmares

we’d want to close our eyes

and sleep all

the live-long day.