sleepover
pressure on the outside
attempting to penetrate the interior
attracted by taper candles
attended to by dreamers
on the inside these adolescents
play with newly found magic
handed down through generations
—unwritten instructions
calling upon the dead
hoping to satisfy their curiosities
ouija board & incantations
are only the beginning
sulfur & ash permeating the air
the responsive spirits
dressed as inmates
& carnival freaks
slipping through the cracks
fully capable of scaring them
right out of their skin
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
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