Show Me the S on Your Chest
when every night terror wakes / and feeds on the ice / unchecked in your veins
close the door and hold
your spongy breath
who are you to argue, after all
when every night terror wakes
and feeds on the ice
unchecked in your veins
maybe a rare grace smacks
you in the face sometimes
all sparkle and flash
maybe it circles like a halo
til you’re blinded by relief
ready to grasp even a faux miracle
ease the door and ooze
your way sticky as the courage
pumped from your own bleeding heart
the dark never was a lie
slippery, slinking, but honest
so there will be resistance
true, you are a long-shot
in your head if not in fact
and a danger at large
but still the only barrier
between x and y
I warn, I urge, I beg you
slam the door and fly
high as a fiery breath shot
from your own flaming mouth
Deborah-Zenha Adams is an award-winning author of novels, short fiction, CNF, and poetry. Her work has appeared in Adelaide Literary Magazine, The Orchards Poetry Journal, One, Sheila-na-gig, and other journals. You’re invited to visit her website to read more of her work. www.Deborah-Adams.com
