Monsters
I will not
be made
into a
madwoman
I will not
be told
how my fears
are featureless
that they are
the monsters of
childhood
that creep out
from under the bed
there is
no
second reality
inside my
head
where the story
is unspooled
there is no
other truth
when the hair
stands up
on my arms
do not speak
to me of spirits
I know
what the
sympathetic nervous system
is for
extending my
touch
beyond the surface
of the skin
when danger
is leaning
in.
