Snow,
from the milky heavens,
flakes down your cheeks.
Near midnight,
you walk slowly
along the deserted sidewalk,
careful you don’t slip,
but also wary
of whoever or whatever
roams the darkness.
Past a shuttered
bicycle store,
the window captures
your shudder.
By a tenement,
abandoned to fire,
a storefront church,
a boarded-up grocery store,
you keep your balance
but your nerve is another matter.
Overhead,
a street light
casts more shadow
than substance.
Ahead,
two empty buildings
stand apart a little
to allow room between,
for whatever needs to fester.
The sound of your footsteps
goes on ahead.
Whatever’s in that alley
is about to know you’re here
