day FIVE HUNDRED and FORTY FOUR

dread

when i was a child
i feared authority —
the stern voice of
a teacher
the kids
who bullied me
the doctor
holding the needle
my mother
when she gave me
that look
my father motioning
to unbuckle his belt
the flashing lights
of a police car

now, at 50
still living
in America
the only thing
i fear
is
my existence

--Jenny Santellano