Old man Fear
With his beard down to his knees
Came a creeping and a crawling
Down my country street.
He carried gunny sacks in knuckled hands
The two weights, heavy and death laden
dragging deep furrows in the dirt.
I watched him stop and open one
pull a rock from that internal hell.
A grey and ordinary river stone,
As big as a human skull.
He passed it to my neighbor
Watching him from her yard
She froze to see his offering,
Her curious hands went a reaching.
He handed her the dark round rock
As if she’d been waiting this special treat.
She took roundish boulder into both her palms.
I saw her make a gaping silent scream.
She brought the burden to heart and chest,
And bowed around the simple stone,
As if he’d given her his gold and treasure best.
She clutched it tight to her breast
Instead of letting loose.
Didn’t sleep, or eat, or answer calls.
Day and night. Weighted down and heavy.
She refused to release its draining toll,
The weight of it a burden to her soul.
She held Fear’s gift with all her might,
Could see no other way.
Frozen in her garden now, her family watched her there,
Confounded why she would not come in,
To hearth and home and family warm.
That old man Fear, he had no shame
He came by to check on her,
Daily with his hungry creeping and a crawling glee.
Watching this unfold, the pointless agony of it all
I could stand no more.
I crossed the boundaries of our yards
An idea to free her of her burden.
I prized her rock from weakening arms,
I forced Fear’s gift she held from her hold,
She screamed at me in rage and woe,
Warned me she would die.
Standing in her yard,
Not moving forward or backwards,
Forgetting all the life around her,
Garden, joy and family.
The stone she held, froze her and stole her
From all the life she’d ever lived.
My neighbor had forgotten freedom
Didn’t know what that old man Fear did.
I forced that heavy rock from her hands,
Could see the ugly scar it left behind.
I threw the rock as far as I could
Not wanting to be caught up in its horrid bind.
I told her Fear gives no gifts and leaves no treasure.
Only aches and pain behind.
I warned her never take his gift againI charged her find her life, her joy, her family.
She wept and thanked me,
Went right to her home.
Found all that she had given away,
While standing there holding Fear’s big stone.
Until old man Fear came down the street again
With his beard down to his knees
Came a creeping and a crawling
With his bag of grisly treats.
New each day, these heavy weights
Skull shaped stones made to drain away the day.
And freeze a person in one place