Cymbals 2020

I crawl in the dark side of the moon
that is their brain.
A scaly noose
coiling around their neck,
turning their vision dark,
and lungs red.
I’m what emerges in their mind
when they hear the word “monster."
The non-lethal substance
killing them like a poison.
Invisible to others
but inside a flashing red.
I make them weak,
make others think they’re weak.
What would hurt more?
The pain I cause,
or the embarrassment they’d feel
if the world knew my power.
Yet, I lurk in everyone’s shadows.
Numerous grey grains of rice
being knelt upon, drawing black blood
in their deserted deserts,
but the whirlpools of sand
leave them too blind to see.
Illustration by Caroline McDowell
By Haley Puntillo
11