Who's There? - Poem by Ray Mather

Who’s there?
Just an eddy of air
That tickles the trees
Only the scuff of a cat
As it noses the leaves.

Who’s there?
Just a raising of hair
At the back of the neck.
Only a tug on a nerve
That makes the knees knock.

Who’s there?
Just the thrill of a stare
Unseen in the dark.
Only the following eyes
That in black corners lurk.

Who’s there?
Just the thought that you share
A deserted lane.
Only the fall of footsteps
That stop when you turn.

Who’s there?
Just the creak of a stair
As the storm shakes the house.
Only the tap of a shutter
The wind has worked loose.

Who’s there?
Just a wing and a prayer
That you’ll pass the night safe.
Only the tingle of terror
From imagination run rife.


(1990)