HE HAS COME FOR ME

Do my eyes deceive me?
Can this be true ?
A creature is stalking me
Through the dark streets.

Eyes black as night,
Cries as soft as the wind,
Sharp claws tapping a sad melody.
It draws closer to me still.

The mansion’s gates yawn open.
My feet leave tracks in the mud,
Handprints where I fall in my haste.
Salty tears splash on the rocks.

The mansion waits in its dark glory
For the innocent and weary.
It sheds its shell like a caterpillar,
But no butterfly does it become.

The creature gains ground,
A stalker in its feline prance.
Whiskers pointed to the wind,
Skulking closer to me.

One last stumble for me
As my knees graze the rocks.
My fingers climb the steps,
Digging deep into the dirt.

I turn one last time.
The dark one stands up,
Reaching its full height.
On two feet it stands tall.

Yellow eyes glisten in the dark,
No whiskers to follow my scent.
White skin for black fur,
Laughter falls from his lips.

He has come for me,
Walking on muscled legs.
Sure and strong is his gait
For no more does he crawl.

“Come to me!” he says.​
“No more games for us to play.”
His hand reaches for mine
As I back away from his touch.

“I refuse to belong to you.”
My voice shakes in despair.
I will not follow him
To the land of beyond.

The house swallows me whole.
A maze of rooms for shelter,
I am hidden inside its walls.
Darkness shields​ me from harm.