Into the Night (shake it off)

Night’s darkness looms

Greens fade into black

The horizon’s bright band

Doesn’t reach where I stand

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Headlights behind

Embed thoughts in my mind

The air is so thin

I can’t breathe enough in

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Stars blanket the sky

Silence rings in my ears

What once was my zone

is now filled with unknown

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The snap of a twig

Mirrors the click of a gun

Suck a breath in

Or the pattern will win

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Pull out the camera

Set up the tripod

Scars never heal

But fear’s lost its appeal

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(shake it off)

I began writing Into the Night (shake it off) last year after realizing that I had overcome my fear of the night once again. I couldn’t have done it without the patience and support of my husband—he gave back to me what I allowed someone else to take from me.

We are a product of everything we do and have done to us. That’s what I believe. I also believe that good and evil exists and their defining characteristics are not gender based. Gender can however play a role in how these qualities manifest.

Don’t allow fear to be a dictator—empower yourself. Surround yourself with people whose actions don’t raise questions and distance yourself from those whose do. Be ruthless. It might be tough at first but it gets easier over time.