Penny Wilson’s most recent poem to appear here was “A Lie I tell myself” (August 2019). 

Dark Caress—
By Penny Wilson

Daylight
brushes the shadows aside

My ebony shield
is gone

The light of day
exposes
my wounds

The world
sees

Eyes
strip me naked

The demons
move in

Their assault
Brutal

I cower
back
to a world
that my eyes alone
are privy to

A kind soul
extends a hand

He sees the
thing
that I’ve become

I turn away
and retreat again
to the dark caress of the night

I’m safe
but restless

I’ve found respite
until the clouds move aside
and the moon
eats the darkness