I had a dream
In pieces
Something sickening
And horrible:
A half-glimpsed mess
Of a hanged man's face
Pleading with me
But I don't see him
In the dark, I know he's standing in front of me
Until the lights come on

Some damaged adolescent
Had an older brother
Who murdered his parents
And buried them with only their faces
Sticking out of the ground
They looked as if
They were in bed
But horribly mutilated
Beneath the soil

His sister
Married to a much older man
For money
Or something
Met him at the police at the marina
Cast one last glance at the world she'd left behind
And leapt into the water
With an apologetic smile
She was wearing heavy boots
And she couldn't swim

This place surrounds me
And a vivisected little girl
With catastrophic burns
I just want to hold her
And comfort her
But ethereally
She's gone
Into the arms of the woman-hating
Serial killing
Rapist
Affectionately known as John

And there's another man
With a wide brimmed hat
And a floor length cloak
And piercing red eyes
And I don't know who he is
Or what
But he frightens me
When he takes this world of pain
And throws it out of an open window
And stalks the room
And despises pain
And fear
He just stands there
And horrifies me

I don't know
If I am awake
I sincerely hope
Something breaks
This tension
And this silence

I don't want to close my eyes
Because I'm frightened
But I don't want to open my eyes
What will I see here?
Some new semblance of violent death
Or torture
And malevolence

They capture the spy
And rip out his hair
They set him free
So they can hunt him down
And he hangs himself
From a crooked beam
And is thrown
Into a pit

Scream and break
And pace the room
And keep the light on
And keep the music turned on
Don't leave me alone
But don't say a word
I don't know
What I am or what I want

Where is the security now?
I wept and sweated and toiled
For days
To make myself invincible
Only to huddle, shaking,
And muttering nothing
Each time I close my eyes
Or open them.