Garrett Roth |
I’m afraid that when I’m walking
underneath the low-hanging branches
Because whoever lives at the corner of
[redacted] and [redacted]
doesn’t trim their shrubbery
That when I’m whistling & open my mouth to
take a breath
That I’ll walk straight into a spiderweb
suspended there in the untrimmed shrubbery
with a perfectly grotesque arachnid
more than likely a wolf spider if I had to
guess
right there in the middle of the web
and that I’ll inhale it right in and
I’ll have a spider in my mouth.
(I’m afraid of losing arguments about sports with my uncle and of getting lost driving to Nashville even though I have directions)
I’m afraid that when I’m walking
someone will be following me
A character of
dubious intentions, at best
I wore my running shoes instead of my Reeboks
just in case something like this happened
A quick closing of distance
My collar is grabbed & I feel a sharpness at my back
I counter with a swift pivot and a two-fisted hammer punch
Not to be outdone, my assailant
pulls out a gun, but
to be outdone even less than he I
pull out my far larger & therefore superior gun
It is marked “ACME Disintegrating Pistol”
I pull the trigger & it disintegrates
in my grasp
My foe obliterates me.
(I’m afraid of my cat getting out because he doesn’t know how to get back home and of forgetting people’s names who know mine)
I’m afraid that when I’m walking
I’ll look the wrong person in the eye
and they’ll think I’m being aggressive
instead of doing what my father taught me
“It’s about respect, not your comfort”
Then I’ll stammer out some apology
Something fake about “You looked familiar”
or
“I thought you had a spider in your mouth
and wondered if I could put it back
in the shrubs, where it belongs”
We’ll part ways and I’ll still look strangers in
the eye
but now I’ve practiced so I’ll know what to say.
(I’m afraid of what happens when my grandparents can’t take care of themselves anymore and of what would happen to my dad if we lost my mom)
I’m afraid that when I’m walking
I’ll get home to find everything exactly how I left it
but the backdoor is unlocked
and I thought it was locked when I left
Hmmmmmmmmm
That looks to be a size 14 dirty footprint
I am a mere 10.5
Oh well
Time to sleep
What’s that giggling sound coming from the closet?
Oh I must have left the TV on
The closet is opening