There is a gap in my soul,
awfully vibrant, through
which slides everyone
and everything;

the black sticky paws
of an unseen monster
creep slowly forward,
prowling in its wake.

I tilt my head
from side to side,
the blunt edges of
an empty horizon
merge into one...

an optical illusion
and I hallucinate;
my paranoia has
reached its peak.

Within every individual,
I see a monster, lurking..
out there to get me, to
grab me - unwarned.

I look back to see
my own reflection
smiling back grimly;
my shadow grows larger,

with every step I take ...