Oh, There Will Be

It’s sleep, not night, that will scare you the most.
Alert in the dark, certainly if dressed,
Up and about, any sighted person
Might be somewhat disabled by the dark,
But unlikely frightened beyond reason.

It’s when you’re safest, under the covers,
Dreaming or half asleep or back and forth,
That your groggy brain can conjure monsters
From the shaky awareness that tempts them
The way a shaky fawn alerts the wolves.

They’re your own, of course, the dreams, the monsters,
The certainty a shadow’s watching you,
The jumbled memories of childhood frights.
Unlike the doe’s wolves, they’re not really there,
Or they are, but not as you imagine.

You’re beautifully evolved to scare yourself,
But do you need shrinks to tell you it’s you
Who frightens you? Go to sleep. It’s not fair,
But you need your sleep, you need your terrors.
Dream there’s something out there or there will be.