After “The Grudge 2” (2006)
In the closet,
there’s a boy
with a cat
in his mouth.
He calls the ceiling
dwellers down
for a game
of Gin Rummy
under the bed.
Stakes are limb
by limb.
*
The boy is also
a long-haired trickster
in disguise.
Once you’re in
the estate,
chances are a eulogy
has already been drafted
for the temple,
sleepless in Tokyo.
Old faithful
has crypsis in spades,
paws capsizing
the heart-shaped bed
like Jaws.
After a beat,
the boy creeps
back into the closet,
awaits his next set
of victims.
Samuel Strathman is a poet, author, educator, and the founder/editor-in-chief of Floodlight Editions.
photo by Andre Benz (via unsplash)
Crow & Cross Keys 