Fear

What are you afraid of?

Your mouth says

Heights, clowns, darkness.

Your lips curl into a smile and you laugh and your cheeks flush,

And you say that you're scared

Of snakes, of the ocean, of needles.

Your mouth says simple things but your heart says otherwise.

Your throat closes up and your heart skips a beat and your smile falters,

And you think that you're scared

Of being alone, of losing the ones you hold most dear, of failure.

Your heart knows fear you'll never speak and never share,

Fear felt deep down when you lie awake at night staring at the ceiling.

It's fear no one talks about but everyone understands,

Fear not of simple things but of complex ones,

Not of objects but of emotions, feelings, states of being.

But you speak with your mouth, not with your heart,

And when you hear those words you reply with simple fears,

With a laugh and a smile and a blush.

After all, no one asks the question expecting the real answer.

What are you afraid of?