Unmasking the Shadow of Fear

The shadow of fear

disguises itself as

a branch without leaves

waving in the dark of night.

Or the touch of the wind

grazing my cheeks when I turn a corner.

It’s the sound of a car

rolling slowly to a stop

behind me.

Or the person I see walking

in the distance who morphs into

a threat from long ago.

The shadow of fear at times

leaves me doubting

if breaking my silence was best.

Or if the truth was better left

in the dark, unsaid, silenced

in the protective bubble that

perpetrators depend on to thrive.

The shadow of fear often brings

the past soaring into the present.

But then, the sun shifts.

I hear birds singing, children laughing

and a friend recounting their weekend.

The shadow retreats; withdrawals

to the edges, lurking, waiting

to see if the past will preside

or the cleansing exhale will bring

me back to the present, to the safety

of the here and now.

The shadow of fear has many disguises

and with time, I will eventually

unmask them all.

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©Alexis Rose, updated 9/2018, Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

Thank you for reading my books: If I Could Tell You How It Feels, and Untangled, A Story of Resilience, Courage, and Triumph