Please, don’t look at me.
I’m so loathsome to behold;
I am a monster.

I guess I’ve always
feared people would look too deep
and see what I am.

It writhes inside me,
blacker than the Devil’s hooves,
looking for release.

Love takes great courage,
we relax and show others
our failures and scars.

We all like to tease,
those we love the most, perhaps
to see if they’ll stay.

In the worst moments,
I believe the terrible
things my heart tells me.

My nightmares speak in
familiar voices that turn
my hopes to ashes.

A sibilant voice
whispers to me in the night,
“Their kind words are lies.”

There’s a great wisdom
to be found within a tree:
a seed grew this large.