Temptation #1

It was a dark night,
And black.
A night were everyone
Looks in.
Windows are mirrors,
No one looks out.

Nothing seems right.
I'm being watched,
By something
I cannot see.
It's tempting me,
I think.
I talk to myself,
Or does it?

On a night like tonight,
I grab my knees.
I curl into a ball
And sit
In the corner.
They cannot be seen,
But I feel their words.
I shiver.

In an empty room,
I cower in the corner.
The lights are on,
It's dark.
The room must be full
now
I'm pressed
into the corner.

I hear a voice,
a bright voice,
a soft voice,
a hopeful voice.

No.
I must be dreaming.
Darkness presses in.
The light grows
dimmer.
The darkness gets
heavier.
I shrink.

That voice!
The light brightens
I like that voice,
But I ignore it.

The light flickers,
Darkness crushes
me.
I've never been
so small.
I've lost all hope,
I'm giving up.
All is darkness.

All is voices
Muttering, scheeming,
Hating, killing.
I'm almost dead.
The light is black.
I see nothing,
I hear nothing,
I feel nothing.

I remember,
that voice.
I want to hear it,
one last time.

But the light is out.
I can't see
the switch,
I can't stand.
They squeal with delight.
The sound hurts my ears.
I was weak,
I ignored the light.

-Ben Ankenmann