By Matt Steel
31 October 2020
Walking near midnight
halogen blaze pools
pulls my gaze a face
pulls my gaze a face looms from oak shadow
porcelain oval
owlish eyes
siphon mouth
siphon mouth unmoving
unblinking
cloaked hooded heavy
shoulder slopes
to black –
Stares
in the unnatural way
of every unmoving being
threatening until
the spell breaks
the spell breaks the watch ends
the head turns (I’m dreaming)
regards me shimmers metallic
like no living face
from this world (wake up wake up)
from this world (so naturally
I yelp with terror –
On closer inspection and after a pinch
it is no face at all
not sentient but a sanitary
bag dispenser for dog walkers
and I wonder:
and I wonder: do others see
and I wonder: a spotlit face in the dark?
Do they wrap Daisy’s or Milo’s turd
in a chemically scented bag and think
“That
“That is some haunted shit
right there?”