The Man That Was Spooky as Can Be

The Man That Was Spooky as Can Be

He walked with no sound, yet his shadow moved,

his eyes caught the corner of my vision,

and his smile was too wide,

curving like it held centuries of secrets.

I passed him in alleys, in markets,

he lingered in doorways like smoke,

the world bending slightly around him,

and I wondered if he was real, or a story I told myself.

Sometimes he whispered my name,

sometimes he didn’t,

but the chill of his presence lingered,

as if he carried all the lonely nights with him.

I tried to follow him once,

through streets that seemed to stretch endlessly,

but he vanished behind a wall that shouldn’t exist,

leaving only a trail of questions and goosebumps.

Now I see him in reflections,

in the gaps between streetlights,

and I cannot tell if he haunts me,

or if I have begun haunting myself.