The Captive Poem by Ritesh Agarwal

A thunderous noise shook the dark house
Rattled the window pane, disturbed the sleeping walls
I woke up with a terrifying jolt.
A shriek
I swear I heard a shriek
Or was it a fancy, that mournful cry?
As the chandelier swayed
And the night sky hissed
It came again
I swear it came again
Unsettling and urgent
A cry of lament, almost insidious.
It was a soul,
It was the soul.
Yet again,
It moaned and groaned
It slithered in its narrow room.
Lifting its sharp finger, it knocked.
Softly.
Then despairingly
It pounded at my ribcage…..