Paralyzed

Paralyzed

My sleep is uneasy
I dream of terror.
Anonymous danger stalks me.
My eyes cannot penetrate the sinister shadow.
I cannot get away—
Motion is sucked from my legs
as if I am wading in grain.
Ground level clouds
seeping to surround me
are turned dark by my fear.
My mind leaps to save me,
volunteers a scream,
but my jaws are bound with terror.

 Marsha Salerno