Member-only story
Prey
Once a carefree spirit
I had the world at my feet,
My personal playground,
Full of promise and light.
It seems so long ago now,
A distant memory,
The vaguest of recollections,
Seen through the haze of panic-filled eyes.
Every knock, every ring,
Turns my throat to parchment
As I cower fearfully
Unable to withstand the intrusion.
Every stranger, a foe, not friend,
Dark-eyed doers of evil,
Their injurious intentions clear,
I’m constantly aware.
Persistent panic simmers,
Always just below the surface,
A state of perpetual readiness
Battle-weary but on guard … just in case.
It’s been 8 years
But I still feel your eyes, sinister,
Watching, waiting
Following my every move.
It’s been 8 years
And two thousand miles
But the distrustful suspicion continues
Crippling my every move
I settle into the realization,
A tepid bath of misery,
That like you, they are the hunter
And I am forever their prey.
