The Still Quiet Silence of the Night

It is a dark, quiet night. The stillness is almost too much to bear. As I look out at my car, I wonder if anyone is hiding in the back seat. I must have way too much time on my hands. My mind is cluttered with images of frightening things, I hear the sounds in the night, unfamilar sounds that make me turn my head and gasp in fear. Why am I feeling this way? Is someone out there? Is someone watching me? Or have I had way too many phone calls of people peering in windows, sitting across the street staring at who knows what, strange cars in the neighborhood, panic alarms, holdup alarms, silent alarms, robbery alarms, now I am alarmed. What is happening in the city? The darkness is eerie, when I drive home, it seems cars pull beside me and stare into my window. Do they have a gun, a machetti, a pocket knife, a toothpick to prick me with? Why are they all lookin at me? Are they following me? Images haunt my mind, I silently pray to get safely home, wondering if tonight is my last night here on earth. Surely there is still much to do, many more crimes to fight, many more calls for help to answer, surely I am not done here. Finally I reach the last road home, finally I can see the security light of the driveway, I pull in...then I must get out and shut the gate, still I feel as if someone is watching me, still I wonder if someone is hiding in the bushes, I think I hear someone breathing, am I a paranoid schizo? I have images of someone rushing up to me with my back turned, jumping on my back, trying to kill me. So I turn quickly to the right and to the left all the way to the door, as I run inside, the porch is dark, still I am scared, I close the blinds, I cannot see the table, is someone sitting there, inside it is dark, they are asleep, is someone waiting in the dark, my mind haunts me with images, did someone come in while they were sleeping. Finally I get the lights on, I look around in each room, shut the blinds and shutters, the doors, the locks and now I can turn the air down, so the house is cool and finally I have peace. I feel safe. I run to my room, jump in the bed and thank God I made it home one more time.