the whispers that bring me out of sleep
leaving only echoes to mull in my awakened state
knowing he is there
lapping my fear
the shadows that follow at the edge of light
the invisible touch that stops my step cold
this cannot be
i plead within my sanity
and yet i know he is there
just outside looking in
his cold breath runs like dancing flies down my neck
he will haunt me
through this life and perhaps another
he talks not in words
but in the wind when the night is still
in the shadows that move and meld and breathe
in the pictures he leaves for me
lest I forget
the evil that awaits the coming night