i am the plague
i am a bad day
i am rain and bitter news
i am the scorching sun and
unwelcome winter
i am 4am insomnia
the sensation of choking
cat scratch fever and
vomiting
i am worrisome behavior
a gunshot
smoke alarm trigger
i am noisy patron
intruder at the door
tongue-tied with
bones crumpled and crushed in the throat
i am a stutter
slip on the gravel
abrasion of the knee just
deep enough to wince when the water hits
i am unwanted pregnancy
screaming child with a tantrum
104˚ fever
glass shattered on the floor
i am a broken a/c
half-working headphone
tall man's hat in the front seat at the theater
i am god i am death
i am foreboding presence and
irritation, disgust

i am nobody's home and
alone.