Shapeshifting Nightmare
nightmare
apple tree freed
walking toward me
I rest at its trunk,
watch it teeter, push it back
with hidden strength
nightmare
transforming heads
eyed to eyeless
transforming body
winged to wingless
will I see or will I fly?
nightmare
cat in the microwave
hairless but alive.
am I the cat
alive
and trapped?
nightmare
I am the tree
in a snowy forest
black pickup
barrels towards me
I am the driver
Copyright 2024 by Cathy Hailey
Cathy Hailey teaches in Johns Hopkins University’s online MA in Teaching Writing program. She is Northern Region Vice President and Student Contest Chair of The Poetry Society of Virginia and organizes In the Company of Laureates. Her chapbook, I’d Rather Be a Hyacinth, was published by Finishing Line Press.
30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review
