The other night as I drifted off to sleep
With tiny quiet dread, my heart whispered to me
A wicked truth newly discovered:
The beast is not so quiet
Not as it would have me believe
It’s just changing tactics
Slipping into new strategies
With an insidious subtlety
That almost fooled me
It lies quiet as if at rest
Refraining from brutal frontal assaults
For the time being
As if to lure me into believing myself
To be the one gaining ground here
But it’s not sleeping
As it observes through squinted eyelids
Studying me carefully, insidiously hidden
Learning my new strategies
It tries to plan counterattacks
As it waits for me to lose focus
Saving its future offenses
For my next distraction
This is no disaster!
This insight grants another small victory
Assuring me I’ve lost no war — not yet!
As long as I can see its falsehood
As long as I can see this beast’s deceit
My last chance is still far from here
And some remainder of the chipped, dented crystal
That is my perseverance
Hasn’t abandoned me
February 3 (?) – February 13, 2025
Comments
All submitted comments are held for moderation before being posted, and are always posted anonymously.
Comments that contain any potential personally identifiable information will be edited before being posted.
Comments may be edited or deleted before being published at the discretion of the site owner.