Keep Walking and Don't Turn Around

Walking in the city

enjoying sights so pretty,

balconies hung with flowers,

trailing down like bowers.

Neck hairs raise as I look around -

I see nothing of peril aground.

Is it above me, peering downward,

something to make me floundered?

I increase my pace, picking up speed,

trying to make it to safety, guaranteed.

I can’t shake the feeling of something watching.

My blood is rushing, something’s spawning.

Running, my feet are pounding the concrete,

pushing through the dark and its heat.

Should I turn down the alley, dark and unlit?

Quick, make a decision, I must commit.

No, the lights beckon me with safer passage.

Yet, whatever it is has the advantage;

it knows this city and the nooks and crannies.

Here, I am a stranger, with no allies.

There’s a store, let me slip inside.

I watch from the glass, and then am chided:

"We are closing. You must leave.”

And he will not give me a reprieve

from the night terror that raises my hackles.

Outside it is silent, and there are no cackles.

What is happening in this big city town?

Am I to be a statistic, a person in death, renowned?

Hugging the building walls, I skitter toward my hotel

Yet, deep within my belly, I know all is not well.

How far have I run into the night

away from an unseen fright?

Is it mere feet or a mile to my paid room?

My brain is circling under the darkened moon;

please, spirits of the night, help me find my way,

I do not want to become a spectacle today.

Footsteps approach, I know they are following.

I spin around again and see absolutely nothing.

Tears are streaming down my face, rivers of salt

and I absolutely cannot find what's at fault.

The doorman awaits me, handing me a tissue

“Why, Miss, whatever has upset you?

You should not walk alone at night

For so many things can give you fright.”

He helped me to a lobby chair in the bar, to sit.

I complied and attempted to gather my wits.

The bartender reached toward me with a drink,

and then I knew exactly what had tweaked my instinct.

The fragrance in the glass was anise and licorice.

My second today, thus the walking was all skitterish.

Or was there truly something or someone lurking?

It definitely felt like there was herding

behind me as I walked, trying to enjoy the fresh air.

Whatever it was, it certainly stood up my hair.

I didn’t imagine it, absolutely not!

Gloom and doom scooted about,

as I walked the streets of an unknown city,

looking at flowers and bowers, so pretty.

Copyright © 6 June, 2026 by Andrea O. Corwin. Thanks for stopping by! 😃 If you like ♡ my scribbles, hit the subscribe button. Please consider leaving a comment. ✍️❤️