Her Eyes

or Which Way Will I Run

I saw her picture in the paper -
just her eyes
but that was enough -
and my stomach
felt sick suddenly.

I had been warned about her
but I didn't notice
when I looked into those
eyes that there
was nothing in there.

I had been warned
about her
but I thought it was
an exaggeration or
a figure
of speech.

“She is a demon
and she'll use you,”
my friend had told me.

“Is she not cold
to the touch?
She is the undead
she is not alive.”

But there must have been
something in those eyes...
something that made me
believe her so many lies...

obvious lies; bizarre lies.

It was only by some miracle
that I got away.
Yet seeing those eyes,
her eyes
the other day,
in the paper,
made my stomach sick.

Sometimes I still get scared
when I walk down these
city streets
and I wonder if I'll see her
and what will happen -
what I'll do.
Will I run?
And if so,
which way will I run?

By Bruce Whealton – April 13, 2009