Feardom Poem by Anthony Fortunato

Dropping down
to the darkest corner
of a big cardboard box

I sit and wait
with tireless eyes
transfixed on the hole at the top
Shining a square light
that stops at my feet

I'm not crazy
I can't hear or smell this thing
but I can feel it
right behind me
on the other side of a frail cardboard shell
Waiting.

It's out there
slowly circling the box
It's eyes never leaving the hole on top
just waiting for me to stick my head out
just a little bit
So it can snatch me up with its many arms
and pull my head out of my neck
with a squishy wet squeezing sound

But I won't stick my head out
Not even a digit my friend
soon you will give up and go back
to the recesses of nothing
from which you came

I will wait as long as it takes
My resilience will not fail
I will live another day
and find another box to crawl into.