I am afraid I’m an ampersand
an ellipsis maybe
a hyphen or dash
I am afraid I won’t die in my sleep
I am afraid someone near me will die
and I will sound like Camus when I speak
Mother died
on Thursday I think
I am afraid I am nothing but snow
I am afraid I’m a door that won’t close
I am afraid of words like deed
mortgage and escrow
I am afraid at how little I know
I am afraid of free white men
I am afraid of colors like yellow
I am afraid to write thank you notes
I am afraid that I’m only a dot
I am more afraid that I’m not.
.