Poem on Fear #1: Afraid of the Dark

10:27pm, I slap the light switch, my sun goes out
and I leap into bed.
Night crawls in, creeps through my won't-shut window,
shadows slipping over chests of drawers--
skewing shapes, shifting my scene to scare me shitless
and my chest
rises, falls again, again.
It's too dark inside.
Closet, unclosed, turns to deep cave
breathing black past its doors.
My breath gets short.
I cocoon myself in covers,
keep myself smothered and out of its reach.
I want to bleach-shower these after-hours
just so I can see but I let eyelids fall heavy,
hoping to sleep.
It's too dark outside.