Fear

The ability to make life’s boundless
love, intelligence, and bold potential
turtle shrivel to a fear’s helplessness
where all and everything is most futile,
is death’s impatient anticipation
of its inevitable victory.
Fear, the dark angel’s smothering footman,
devastates creativity deftly
with an all pervasive, constrictive pall
that benumb the possible into the
impossible, where a crippling nightfall
of despair molts into the sole mantra.

But brave life’s defiant response is when
one door slams shut, another rips open.