Are you frightened by things
that return in the night
things that crawl inward
things lost from sight
Is darkness a veil
to hide and conceal
what daylight sends running
what daylight reveals
Your memory a spring
that evening coils back
reloading your fear
as shadows attack
And sleep brings no refuge
when dreams have been damned
whose nightmares will haunt you
—till dawn is at hand
(Villanova University: August, 2023)