A Walk in the Dark

Keys held steady
piercing
ready to thrust
to inflict harm.

Foot after foot
placed carefully
step after step.

Head down,

alert

avoiding attention yet 

on guard

every sense helping create

an itemised list

of surroundings.

Foot after foot
placed carefully
step after step.

Lump in throat

screams gone

fight or flight unknown

silenced in anticipation

fear and dread.

Foot after foot
placed carefully
step after step.

Imagined beasts

under each rock

beside each bush

noises betraying their 

vantage points

Foot after foot
placed carefully
step after step.

Streetlight pooling

moving swiftly from 

one warm shield to the next

a brief respite.

Foot after foot
placed carefully
step after step.

Breath

unknowingly held

released into light

keys finding their purpose

unlocking.

Foot after foot
placed carefully
step after step.

Home.

Michaela Sheehan

2021

There have been many people more eloquent than I, writing about how it can feel walking alone as a woman. This terrifies me, not only for myself but for my friends and any other person who feels vulnerable walking alone. It is wrong that we feel so unsafe for just existing outside of our homes.