In-Between #5 - Brendan Sullivan

Fear

Brendan Sullivan

Fear is a mongrel child -
its slave coils
snake tight in your belly,
poised to strike hot,
and too dense and bright
to leave a scar
beyond the brush of shadows.

It aches;
and cuts in clean ribbons
and stops the easy innocence
that lurks like a child
in the corner of your eye.

It burns;
and sits on your tongue
in acrid syllables
that scorch the dreams
off soft white bones
and strips your soul clean
of artificial life.

It finds its prey
in hollow sounds -
the skipped beat of frail hearts
and the faint protests
of random doubts
that haunt your world
in cold inches...

Bio: Brendan resides in the excessively sunny and hot state of Virginia. In his past life he was an actor and appeared as Sandy the dog in "Annie" and as Godot in "Waiting for Godot". He majored in electric shock therapy in college.