There are things in life that take away my stride.
Even moments that make me cringe and hide.
Whether or not my eyes are closed or opened wide.
They are constantly in my head but there isn’t a guide.
Some can't seem to be rationalized.

A simple insect…
One may never suspect.
They fly by night in the light and are easy to detect.
No flight pattern, even if they have intellect.
My personal space is what they tend to disrespect.
Wings that are powdered and muddy,
Bodies that are a gross kind of fuzzy,
Eyes of red or black, some even reflect.
Moths, the thought of them I'd rather neglect.

I don't mind swimming,
Unless there is a hesitance that I'm sensing.
In deep water floating
The water’s bottom too dark for viewing
From the depths below, no idea what might be lurking.
I will never try diving,
Deep murky water, I fear a drastic unearthing.

This one might seem more rational
I'd rather be short than tall.
Avoiding the ladder against the wall.
Rollercoasters are never a good call.
Gravity may have me at its disposal.
I'm not sure if I'm afraid of the height or the fall.

I do not feel uneasy with death or the unclean.
A feeling that can break my normal routine.
In the dark, I get the sense of being watched, by something unseen.
My rational thoughts will not intervene.
At night, scrambling to my bed, far from serene.
Maybe I shouldn't have skipped that dose of fluoxetine.

I do not take to heart a smudge.
But I am afraid of who will judge,
When I don't feel like picking up a sponge.
Guilt that I cannot expunge.
The views of laziness or when I overindulge.
Even when I'm constantly on the go, my mind does challenge,
That I am not doing enough, those sentiments won't budge.

Overwhelming nightmares, fraught with wars of radiation.
Destruction and loss across many a nation.
All aspects of life we would have to ration.
Poisonous saturation.
An end to the world, from the powers of manipulation.
Using us a demonstration.
The thought brings me great frustration.


© A. Tenney