Daily missive for Tuesday the 22nd of January.~by Peter Forster

 

 

Daily missive for Tuesday the 22nd of January.

Did you ever have a nightmare
Wake up in a cold sweat
Blood pounding in your head
Afraid to get out of bed
More afraid to remain
Under the covers
Than to touch the floor
Just two steps to the door
Did you ever live in fear
Of a voice in the dark
Or a poke from a gun
Being ordered to run
When a rifle was raised
And held steady
As you cowered
Still wet from when you showered
With all the others
Sisters and brothers
Who would have died
Before they realised
They could wake up
From a dream
If only they could scream
Were they cowards
For believing they had no choice
When nobody heard their voice
Was it wrong to be afraid
When the nightmare
Came to call
To shiver in fear
And still stand tall
Makes you the bravest of all
An evolutionary leap
More structural than skin deep
It is only a fool
Who would deny fear
When death stalks
Their dreams
Stifling the screams
Of a cruel world
It is how to survive
Stay alive
And be free
To agree or disagree.