Fear

• Lani Te'o, Grade 9, The Glennie School
• Poetry
• 2009

Finalist in the 'Xtreme Read 2009' competition

Icy fingers
Clutching her heart
Piercing her thoughts
Like a poisonous dart
Memories mumble around in her head
Filling her up with insidious dread
Where she could she run to, where could she hide
There’s nowhere to go when the pain is inside
She cannot escape it, it’s always just there
Clawing and clutching with talons that tear
It started to murmur when she was quite small
Piercing darkness and daytime with its horrid claw
It now stains her memories with fright and with dread
Like a trapped soul shrieking deep in her head
If only she looked into sunshine and light
Her life wouldn’t be such a hideous fight