In the Eighth Grade

In the 8^th Grade

In the eighth grade

I thought spiders would crawl out of my cheek

I thought that clowns would rip off my flesh

And use my blood as grotesque make-up

I thought that, deep into the night

Earwigs would crawl up onto my pillow

And burrow deep into my brain

In the eighth grade

When we were told to hide under our desks

I feared forgetting something in the rush

And losing that thing forever

In the eighth grade

I feared losing my friends to

Some unnamable death

I feared falling from some great height

I feared too many people in closed spaces

And slipping on wet floors

I feared my own peers, even my friends

I feared vomiting and shots

And the dentist

I feared dogs, especially big ones

But also little ones

I feared even little things like paper cuts

And headaches

And beach crabs

When I was little, I feared the little things

I feared things that could never happen

I feared things that were too close to the truth

In the eighth grade

I feared my uncle