Kenneth Pobo

Trina and the Light

Married for nineteen years,
she still sleeps

with the light on, believes
monsters under the bed

thrive in darkness,
their pupils growing,

claws thickening. Frank
holds her but knows his skin

can't stop her trembling.
When they make

love, she keeps her eyes closed,
hardly knows how

her husband looks naked.
He sees all too clearly

her taut face
in his hands,

her fear that in the midst
of joy

something will come
and ruin it.

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The 2River View, 4_1 (Fall 1999)

2River