Poem: Disturber of the Peace by Mark Tulin

The disturber of the peace comes to me
with my eyes barely open
in the middle of the night
when I am the most vulnerable.

He guides me into a dark realm
where I can’t find the exit.
Deep into a pool of molasses
where my mind stays stuck.

He is an unfriendly visitor, familiar
only in my discomfort.
A joker, a con, convincing me of sins
that I’ve never committed,
people that I’ve never hurt.

The disturber of the peace lives in my head,
whispers things that I don’t recall,
lies and hearsay ring in my ears
and make me dizzy with vertigo.

For I am the vulnerable one,
a lowly pauper convicted of crimes
without a fair trial.
I’m guilty only of my fears
while those without a conscience
are set free.

©️MFT