On Childhood Fears

That she cannot see into the night—can’t know whose wolf

eyes watch with care; if their sight can steal her, grip

with stare—conjures dreams of hands, once sleep is

found, this child pressed firmly, faceless into blankets

as a coffin into ground.

Debbie Benson’s poems have appeared (or are forthcoming) in Best New Poets, Indiana Review, Bennington Review, Radar Poetry, Ninth Letter, The New Verse News, San Diego Poetry Annual, The Penn Review, Passages North, and other journals. Awards include the Ann Stanford Poetry Prize, Vern Cowles Prize, an International Merit Award from Atlanta Review, and a “Best of the Net” nomination. She works as a clinical psychologist in NYC. Say hello via debbiebenson.com.