It Feasts On Fear
by Michael Doyle

I.

Watch for signs of corruption in the morning,
In all the troubles that come without warning.
American Sign Language signals the meaning
Of all the challenges for us human beings.

Small towns brush life with their mercy,
Sipping whiskey from a bottle of Hennessy.
Frozen there in the solitude of night,
Anywhere but Derry would be alright. 

A stranger's kid struggles with a pout,
Fighting with an urge to find a way out.
Some forms of vice are suffered merrily,
While others are escaped quite narrowly. 

It was born quite evil and quite hungry.
A birthday greeting was given quite early
As It escaped to a drainage in the night.
It was spawned to bring others full fright.

Bangor Air Base had its special projects,
Along with nuclear fear and its rejects.
A normal town with all its participation,
Life was lived with a mix of fear and anticipation.

Duck and cover for the ashes of mass radiation.
The aliens and Russians were fearful interpretations.
The new normal wasn't a welcome invention,
But the military stood ready for intervention. 

A little pessimism helps pass the time of day,
Sometimes ignorance needs to be pushed along the way.
Kids and parents fight their vivid imaginations.
It's how it is as sweet scenes bury titillation.

Town kids find themselves in a secret hideaway.
Into the darkness of the night, they're bound to stay.
Mood rings reveal their jammed-up feelings,
While accidents will happen as life keeps revealing.

The new year comes with a little conversation.
There are so many memories of past devastations.
It's how life happens on the way to the cemetery.
All of our dreams can turn out so contrary.

Trouble is as trouble comes down the country road,
In that in-between place that we've all been told.
Though we do our best to learn how to save,
There's no escaping the whispers calling to our graves.

(c) October 30, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved