Tonight
Like every night
I hear strange noises outside my window
I lay
Poised Stiff Expectant
Listening closely
Wrapped in the blanket my grandmother had once sewn
Possibly the last thing I feel
I clutch it tightly

As Phantoms pass the glass
With shadows revealed by curious streetlights
I can’t help but develop a heightened sensitivity to all I can feel
My senses sharpened by a threat
The shadows become more defined
The beads of sweat on my brow start condensing into full drops

Focus.

When I listen closely
I can hear the
Faint
Familiar
Hymns of language.
The volume swells a riptide
Danger passes by
Whispers fade to the black of night

My biggest fear is that here in the bed
In this pitch black room
Accompanied by nothing else but my own paranoia
I will fade to black too

So instead I lay
Expectant
Prepared to say my last line
And I am
For once
Happy
That I’m not in the Spotlight.