PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Paranoia

By Muriel Palanca

I can feel you lurking behind me. My heart flutters and quickens.
Rush of blood to the head, to the chest.
For a moment I forget to breathe and the urge to run is one I must deny.
It’s all in slow motion; cold sweat, eyes burning through my skull.
I walk.
Bones crushing together; each step an eternity.
Every scream terrified, amplified, clawing at my insides
But the beast must be tamed.
Oh god I want to cry. Home is miles away. 
The street is wet and illuminated, empty and suffocating. 
I feel you closing in. Your footsteps are a whisper creeping under my skin,
Into my lungs making my fingertips numb, clutched so tight in a chokehold,
Tearing my soul into shreds. I’m dead inside, trapped in the coffin, buried alive.
Breaking. Vulnerable. Insignificant. Will no one miss me when I’m gone?
Panic. Raw undiluted fear. Weakness. Rage. Power. Survival.
So close; you’re right behind me.
The wind picks up; howls.
Chilled to the bone. Skin tightens.
I hear my name. Quiet.
I turn around.
The street is empty.
There is no one there.