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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Late at night, driving through wilderness
\na little shack, glowing with light
\nbeacon in middle of nowhere \u2013 cue theremin<\/p>\n
The road diverges on either side of the shack
\nI am headed in, does anyone ever come out?<\/p>\n
I stop, maybe a hundred feet short of the split
\nthroat dry, mind racing, inner voice rising
\nirrational fear and primal ear hairs reactive
\nsweaty palms clench, unclench steering wheel<\/p>\n
Calming as I remember I am traversing
\nremote, protected wilderness I ease off brakes
\ninch toward the little cabin, figuring to laugh
\nwith the park ranger who probably sees
\nmany such as I, approaching with trepidation
\nthough there remains in my head a lingering,
\ngnawing fear from too many teen movies
\ninexplicably, reflexively slamming on brakes<\/p>\n
I become acutely aware of self-palpitations
\nfeel the sweat oozing from forehead
\ndryness of mouth akin to desert hiking
\nirrational ‘it will eat me’ while
\ncontemplating gunning my car right past
\nwhatever horrors real or imagined
\ninhabit this remote bastion of desolation
\nsimultaneously reminding myself how
\nsilly such unwarranted fear is simply
\nimagination run amok even as I become
\naware of suddenly sweat-stained armpits
\nsurely now showing on blood red shirt
\nit’s gonna eat me
\nI again take my foot off the brake
\nadvance toward whatever awaits, aware
\nthat devils take many forms, evil can
\noften be found wearing khakis and hats
\nI pull alongside the cottage, prepared
\nto gun it away from who, whatever
\nis in there as the window slides open I
\ncroak out an edgy \u2018How are you tonight?\u2019<\/p>\n