Shadows of Doubt
Author: Neil Shusterman
In the blink of an eye,you might suddenly feel
That your world's been invaded by all things unreal.
They slink up behind you, and don't make a sound,
But there's nothing to fear... if you don't turn around.
In the pit of your stomach there rests a device
That can calculate how fast your blood turns to ice;
It measures the temperature nightmares will start,
Then divides it by beats of a terrified heart.
At the foot of your bed lies a blanket of fear,
You might think it quite safe, but it's always quite near.
When its steel-woolen quilting wraps `round you one night,
You may learn that it's not only bedbugs that bite.
At the top of the stairs there's an attic I've found,
That remained even after the house was torn down,
And it's filled with the cobwebs of lonely old dreams,
Which have grown into nightmares that swing from the beams.
At he mouth of a cave lives a shadow of doubt,
If you dare to go in, will you ever come out?
Are there creatures who lurk where it's too dim to see?
Can you hear when they move? Are you scared yet? (who me?)
At he edge of the earth flows a river of fear,
And it pours into space day by day, year by year.
As you shoot the cold rapids, and stray far from shore,
Do you notice your lifeboat has just lost an oar?
In the eye of the storm stands a ghost of chance,
And around her all spirits are destined to dance.
She turns a cold gaze toward an unlucky few-
Don't dare to look now, for she's staring at you.
At the end of the world stands a giant steel door,
And what lies beyond it, nobody's quite sure...
is it crystal-clear heavens, night blazing hot,
And which is more frightning: knowing or not?
In the face of the future we fly on our own,
Hoping our wings never turn into stone.
If you fall from the sky to the sea, will you drown?
Well, there's no need to worry... unless you look down.
At the back of your mind, there's a hole open wide,
Where the darkness is creeping in from the inside,
You can light rows of candles to cast the dark out,
But it's always there hiding...
... in shadows of doubt.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Posted: Nov 2010
Comments (8)
In the face of the future we fly on our own, Hoping...in spite of fears and doubts that lurk in the shadows, inside and out. Nice write with the vivid imagination of childhood and grown-up talent.
no shadow of a doubt about that.
hope to see more of your writing
I read it 5 times in a row.
Brilliant.