And now, for something completely different:

A poem. To wit:


small

you are just a little bit

afraid of the neighbor
‘s tensile dog
lurking
in the stairwell

back
from a revel
concert
or streetlamp
reverie
you find
Cerberus gargoyle
knows all
the steps
Supermario villain
style those
bobs and ducks
and bookend weaves

you parry dodge
your way
to bed
but fear
you’ll land one
of those nightmares
that always plagued
your father
the ones
with teeth