f
e
a
r
always...lurking just
under the skin...

veins pulsing with the
beat of that maddening
constant...constant...con-trary
( to what one would want!)

have to be
so God (Afraid) damned...?
yes
pulsing^^^ pulsing^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
beating >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
crawling ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
bulging )))))))))
battered veins ///~~~~~>>>>^^^^^^^////
drained
f
e
a
r
that 4 letter, "four-letter word"--
that/THE "f-word"
(the real one--no joke, no Lie, this hurts...damn!)

still,
if you are lucky
it might
leave you
alone...
oh, and seek
to crawl
under
another poor soul's vein-bulged-scarred
s k i n

what a sin...


wait...wait!

shhhhh!

fear
beaten...?

yes!

when the power behind the eyes of angels arrive...
( it ... fear can't breathe where angels thrive)

oh!


still, it
does return...
yet,
who am i to complain
i am as others...yes?

no?

not really,
noone
not one
or any
of us
knows
for certain

then...then...
well, i am going ...now!
to draw a curtain
'round me
as a blanket
as a shell
(better a shell
than a shroud)
Oh!

fuck fear!

i am!
still here!


~~~~~~~

thank you, marsha (marcia maris at AD) for the 'symbols' idea...