Silent Companion

There is a man, clad in black

Who follows me around

Wherever I go

He is feared by many

But not by me—not usually

He used to follow me from a distance

Teasing me, staying just out of sight

But now, whenever I turn my head

I see him looking over my shoulder

Always there, a silent companion,

A guardian, I pray

My dear silent companion

Bold and unafraid

I cannot seem to shake him

No matter where I hide or turn

But I want him to stay;

Without him I’m afraid

I hate him when I lie awake

And he wiggles closer to my ass

Purring in my ear

Wanting to force himself upon me

Compelling me to summon

My every ounce of will

To refuse his warmth

But sometimes in the day

When despair threatens to take hold

For the umpteenth time—I do not count

I reach back and find there his comforting hand

Its squeeze telling me in no uncertain terms

When I cannot bear it any longer

His warm embrace will be waiting

To comfort me and never let me go

All through the day he wears a cold grin

Without moving any lips

Mocking my efforts, mocking everything

He gives me no privacy

Yet is the best friend I have

I don’t know much about him

Just that he’s polygamous

And once he almost kissed me

Nameless, I named him Hope

In a world of hopelessness

He frightens me in the night

Cuddling too close

Never leaving me alone

Never providing a respite

But sometimes in the day

I face him and ask him Why

Yet my questions are irrelevant

Not one answer forthcoming

There’s only that enigmatic gaze

That gateway to mystery

Harassing me, burning me alive

Against my better judgment still I ask

And keep asking; asking and pondering

But his dead eyes just stare at me coldly

And his scythe reflects no sunlight