At night

People only hear their fears
at night
when the stillness blankets
the air
and the ticking of a clock
goes synchro
with their hearts.
Some turn on a light,
others shake in the night.
Rich man can buy his fears, and put them in tiny boxes.
Poor man might live on credit
in helplessness to a priest, who mumbles about divinity, salvation.
People only hear their fears
at night
waiting under covers
staring at walls that become
sinister in shadow,
listening to inhales and exhales that
echo in their heads.
"Fear is a mind killer,
it's a horror imaginary" I once read...somewhere.
I see my fears throughout
the day, peering around
corners,
minor subconscious prattle
still existent (but I
respect evil) I've been
on that borderline -out
past that checkpoint people
call sanity-
I can laugh now...
People only hear their fears
at night
when instead of sleeping, they
try to wake up from this life,
this chaos, this night......

-George Pal