Fear

I'm invisible.
And I'm the chill in the corner of your room.
Yes, I'm the tickle in your throat,
the violent coughs to come.
I'm what's killing the flowers on your dresser.
I'm not the entire story your mother reads to you at bedtime.
I would be if there were no princes, princesses
and friendly elves and dwarves within its pages.
I'm not the shadows
but they take my orders.
I'm the noises
for as long as they're unexplained.
I'm not the dream itself
though some of the scripts are mine.
I'm not what can go wrong
as much as how you imagine it.
It's almost midnight.
Leave everything to fear.