I am the footsteps that crackle on gravel
and the sudden chill that’s hard to explain.
I am the figure seen flitting through doorways
and the noisy rattle of a loose windowpane.

I am the scream that wakes you at night
with the thought, was it real or a dream?
I am the quickening thud of your heart
and the feeling things aren’t what they seem.

I am the slam of a door blown shut
when there isn’t even a breeze
and the total and absolute clarity
that you just heard someone sneeze

I am the midnight visitor,
the knock when there’s no one there.
I am the ceiling creaking
and the soft football on your stair.

I am the shadows that dance on your wall
and the phantoms that float through your head
and I am the fear that you fear each night
as you wriggle down deep in your bed.