An old acquaintance stopped by
Said he’d come to stay.
He brought with him a stranger
With nothing much to say.
The Stranger was the silent type
Always sitting in the dark.
But my acquaintance wanted more
He’d come to claim my heart.
He found a place inside my home
But that was just a start.
He traveled with me in my car
And never seemed to part.
He clung to me – so heavy
That I didn’t realize.
He whispered I could see him –
Within my family’s eyes.
I recognized his taunting voice
Had met him times before.
But those were brief encounters
This time he wanted more
Fear danced and sang inside my mind –
Words so dark and grim
He smothered Hope and fed on Doubt
The Stranger fed on him.
I hope that I can deal with him
The doubt, despair, and strife.
Recapture things so dear to me.
My mind, my heart, my life.
I grasp a Hope – God’s given me
And whisper in each prayer
That Fear will have to step aside
For One – Who’s always there.
S. A. Collins