Barefoot

madness

doesn't arrive

in army boots,

wiping mud on

clean carpets,

announcing it's

moved in &

conquered -

it happens

like a whisper -

like a secret

between ghosts -

it happens imperceptibly -

sand in an hour glass

sifting from top

to bottom -

it walks barefoot

at night

laughing,

quiet-like

shhhhh

shush

hush

leave a window open

for crazy to slip out

at midnight

into damp air &

shadows -

wet foot prints

on lamp-lit sidewalks &

a dog's sharp uncertain bark -

only moonflowers

see it drift back inside

by Diann Hays