XVII

you crash through
the jaws of pines

careening

darkstruck

cold with dread

XVI

your breath shatters
like a dropped glass

the lonely dance
of a heartbeat or two

and you start to run

XV

your eyes
reel and dilate

shadows surge
to fill the void

you are now alone

XIV

starlight breaks
through the trees
and illuminates

snarling crushed-nose faces
and glassy feral eyes

XIII

a low chant roils
ominous whirlwind

crown of ice
laid upon your
shuttering skull

XII

you stand alone
but you are not

a ring of eyes
glint and flicker
from the low boughs

XI

you jerk away,
the grip loosens
and floats upward

nesting like a crow
in a black pine