i really want to know

tell me about all those things
you keep hidden in your closet--
that come out at night
to tap-dance strange rhythms across your dreams
and leave little footprints of hesitation
on your mind.
i really want to know.
whose body have you hidden,
safe beneath the floorboards,
that makes you so afraid of the dark,
and what pet name of infinite affections
have you given to their bones?
what splintery, spidery creature
keeps triggering all those mouse traps
you so cautiously set,
and why
do they all have your face?
who keeps stealing the bulbs from your nightlights?
who keeps leaving those tangles in your hair
and bite marks on your neck
and claw markes on you door?
tell me,
what dark and shadowy corners of your mind
do you loose on the world at night
that let you wake up every morning
with a clean conscience
and dirty fingernails?