Susie, age 7

Untitled

(1998)

lay down go to sleep
be a good girl and lay down
close your eyes why do’nt they why they don’t hear the voices in town
darkness comes
they call me
i go there
has to all be a dream
underground it’s so cold
always dark
red lights glow
candles flicker all around
darkness is stronger here
hope is devoured by the fear
go to them
floor is cold cold as death
chalk and tape pentagram
candels burning burning away hope
hands on me touching me
taking off everything
LAY DOWN!!!

there’s one for head
five point star
two for legs
two for arms
candles won’t stop burning
red light won’t stop glowing
darkness won’t stop killing
chanting won’t stop chanting
in my mind
shiny knife bleeding goat
metallic taste down my throat
close the mind don’t taste don’t feel
close the heart kill the soul nothing is real
little girl too small
too small for a grownup
doesn’t stop them what they do
start to scream
scream
SCREAM

then they stop
lock me in a little box
can’t stop them from crawling
too many legs too many of them
go away let me out let me go
leave me alone
don’t hurt the cat
but the cat is me
if i talk if i tell if i breathe
be a good girl and lay down
yes be a good girl lay down and it will stop
it will be over soon
just die inside shattering
dont take it anymore go away far away and dream