Font Color=darkvioletparanoid Poem by Jane Meyer

I’m haunted.
Not by ghosts or demons,
or even images of the past.

I’m haunted
by images of what could be,
the worst of what could be.

Specifically what could happen
to any of my pets.
Someone walking in the dark,
carrying a heavy load,
moving around furniture,
all bring images of
crushed skulls,
broken forms,
spasming bodies,
in puddles of blood,
taking ragged breaths.
And every time I see them,
I know there’s nothing I can do.
I know I could only watch
as their life slowly leaks away.

I see these images
because I made a mistake.
I cost a little kitten,
a 7-week-old kitten,
the life she could have had.

So now I’m overly protective,
I make sure everyone is careful.
I will not let anyone repeat my mistake
and I will not let my visions come true.
Because of that day,
that truly heart-breaking day,
I am and always will be
Paranoid.