Creative Corner: Poetry by Ritual Abuse Survivors	Ritual Abuse, Ritual Crime and Healing

 

Night Terror

 

The room is dark and somber.
Not a sound to be heard, except the whirring of the fan
dimming the night noises.
Thump, thump, thump.

What is it, is someone in the house?
Don't breathe!
Get up and investigate!
Lie still and let them get you!

Slowly you rise from the bed and stealthily you move to the door.
You sigh a deep sigh
It was only the cat.

You return to your bed
Sleep takes over
Bang!
You jump out of bed with a start!
You run to the living room!
No one at the front door
Hurry, to the back door
No one there.
To the side door.
Quiet, and the sensor light is not on.

Back to
bed
and to
sleep
You awake with a gasp for air!
You cannot breathe!
You are shaking and in panic
Shall I call 911?
or do I call a friend?
No, for there is no friend at 3 AM
or shall I just lie here
until
death slowly takes over my body?

I close my eyes and
I awaken to the sound of a bird.
It's morning
and
I survived.

• Macabre, 1995

 

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