The things in your dark

I was never afraid
Of the things in your dark
They were yours and you'd tamed them
Nuzzling an outstretched palm
Bellies upturned and lolling side to side


It's my own that creep
In broad day
Wild and snarling
Fresh blood on the tips of their nails
I ask them what it's from and
I know they lie


I go to bed
Wake with pinkened sheets
Aging welts still raised
On the hidden parts of me


I know what they're doing
I don't want to let them
I want them tranquil and cooing
Harmless under my command
But my words have no force
More breath than sound
And they chortle at my failure
Dragging one claw at a time
As I stare at the clouds