A Paw
Dark and hairy —
I had never seen before —
Would emerge out of nowhere
Like an intruder in the dead of night
I would shudder as it
Grabbed my feet
The monstrous eyes on the Paw
Coldly staring at me
I would panic and
Try to scream
My mouth wide open but
My vocal cords tied
I would scream my lungs out but
Only felt the winds blowing out —
A voiceless bellow
Such was the Paw's spell
I would be totally paralysed
From head to toe
I would sweat
My heartbeat would race
Unable to comprehend —
I would attempt
Yet another failed scream
Unfazed
The Paw would
Vigorously drag me
From my comfy mattress
Out of my room and
Down the stairs
Like a wave crashing on my face —
“Wake up!”
The call drove away the intruder
My voice set free
For a longing scream
Cold, wet and trembling
I sat upright
The Paw —
I desperately wanted wiped from memory —
Would return again and again
To haunt me
To leave me incapacitated
As if revealing a mystery
Or simply overpowering me
The Paw
Wouldn’t speak
Nor would it scream at me
Just a physical act of
Shaking me
Like a tin can
To pour out
Stuck residue
The ongoing episode had to end —
A plan devised
For the final encounter
I knew it would return —
Me ready for a face-off
Another silent night
That familiar sensation
At my feet
The Paw — unwelcome —
Back again
The anticipated drag
About to commence
My heartbeat rose
But I was calmer
More attuned
Than before
The Paw started
Shaking and dragging me
With the same fervour
Along the floor
Out the door
Down the stairs
I let myself go —
No constriction
No restriction
No fear —
I surrendered
Curious
To see what it would do —
I went with the flow
Halfway down the stairs
The dragging stopped
The Paw gave up and
Vanished
I opened my eyes
No fear
No trembling
Calm ensued
The Paw never returned
It lost the battle —
To my surrender
To my willingness
To go with the flow
It taught me humility
Not victory
I was quietly grateful
To the Paw
A tragic nightmare
Transformed
Into a sweet dream