unsent draft messages

There’s a room in my dreams that scares me
Hiding—
Hiding behind a sullen wooden door
At the end of a forgotten corridor
Where my feet it seems, cannot find the floor
The doorknob within reach
Though I dare not turn it
God No.
Clutching my pendant, I whisper a prayer
The totemic black steel, digging into my palm
Reciting the inscription
Tightening my grip
Imprinting the words on my fingertips
As though to replace the lines that define me
Hoping they end the suffering that binds me…
That binds me—
to the apparition beyond the door
Stuttering through the recitation
As I’m sliding down the wall in hesitation
A curled up ball of defeat
In a fetal squeeze
Compressing my chest
Stifling what’s left of my breath
Sensing the soul rattling unrest, lurking
Lurking beyond the sullen wooden door
Never sudden, the dread keeps on seeping
Almost as though a draught is weeping,
Weeping through the cracks left creaking
As it creeps in beneath the door
Sneaking a peek, to behold the curled up ball against the wall upon the floor
Within reach, almost touching my feet
It baulks, as I suppress a shriek
Eyes wide, I’m gasping
Looking up through my shivered breath, now roused and rasping
Clasping my chest once again at the sound of rapping…rapping—
An unforgettable rapping against a once-forgotten door
Please, I whisper
Please…no more…no more…no…more. 💀