in class
they asked us
if we were
afraid of the dark
no i'm not afraid
of the dark that
fills my room
at two a.m.
i'm not afraid of the dark
that engulfs
underground caves
or the darkness
submerged deep in
the atlantic ocean
but
i'm afraid of the dark
that seeps through
every fissure
and crevice
of my splintered heart;
the blackness that
cascades through
my veins
and the gloom
that fills my lungs
(with no room
for oxygen.)
yes, i'm afraid
of a certain kind
of darkness:
the kind that can't
be illuminated
by a flashlight