Anxiety

By Atom Valderrama, 16

I don’t know how,

But I am certain.

Something lurks behind the curtain.

Through the windows,

Its eyes peer.

I can sense it growing near.

I tell myself,

That it is nothing.

My mind’s not fooled, 

It knows I’m bluffing.

Shall I look?

With fear, I’m frozen,

I somehow get my eyes to open.

I face my fears,

The silence, dead.

I stumble up from out of bed.

Behind the curtain,

Nothing lies. 

I finally can rest my eyes.

As I tuck,

Myself back in.

My face is stricken

With a grin.

“How foolish was I,

To have such a fear.”

Then in my window, 

It appeared…

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This is an eerie poem from a collection I wanted to make into a published book. I decided to cancel the project but I still like to look back on them. This poem is about the paranoia of a young child regarding monsters he fears exist beyond his sight.

Instagram: @om_valderrama

Photo by Molly Blackbird