The Night Has a Thousand Eyes

This poem is based on a true story that happened in 2003 when my husband and I stayed overnight in a loft next to UVA Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia, when my mother was a patient.

Feeling what cannot be seen

The stairs of the wooden bungalow

Creaked with every step we took

I kept my eyes straight ahead

Neither to the left nor the right did I look

A sensation of being an unwelcome guest

Overwhelmed my husband and I

Yet we continued walking

As darkness filled the night sky

Watchers in the night

The third-floor lodging was cramped

With a ceiling that was close to our heads

A musty attic scent filled the air

As we settled into the twin-size bed

I tossed and turned, unable to sleep

A feeling of being watched was strong

I prayed for protection through the night

Which I knew would be miserable and long

Prying eyes in the darkness

Nothing went bump, and no apparition appeared

Yet we knew we were not alone

The atmosphere was thick with apprehension

How I wished I were in my own home

I felt a thousand prying eyes upon us

Held back by the power of prayer

They knew they could not harm us

But made sure we knew they were there

We're here, we're here, we're here

The hatred was almost tangible

We knew right from the start

If they could have had their way

They would have torn us apart

As my husband drifted off to sleep

I held on to him so tight

And told the unseen beings

I would enjoy my sleep that night

Morning Light

Banish them, we could not

For this was their domain

Still, they kept their distance

Because I called on Jesus' Name

We woke early, and the overwhelming gloom

Had subsided in the morning light

As we dressed, I said a special prayer

For whoever would sleep there the following night