Fears for Sale

a poem by Byju Bhaskaran

I fear this little breeze
is a thunderstorm
that killed my kith and kin.
I fear this echo
is an explosion
at my home.
I fear this knock
on my door is a cop
for a crime in my dreams.
I fear the silence of others
I fear they are conspiring against me
I fear they despise me
I fear these words, this laughter,
are aimed at me.
I fear what I did and said
the moment before
were wrong and idiotic
I fear this person has already judged me
a fool, a thief and a cheat
I fear I am unclothed
I fear I am a misfit for this moment
I fear I look awkward from behind
I fear I would fly off now
I fear everyone on earth is thinking about me now
I fear I would be declared pauper soon
I fear this joy of mine will lead to pain
I fear this party would pave my way to hell
I fear my kid would die now
I fear the earth will move off my feet
I fear I would lose my grip and fall to death
(I feared the person sitting behind me
had a knife to kill me)
I fear I am the ‘one’
when he said there is a thief among us
I fear I am the ‘one’
when he said there’s a spy among us
I fear she yearns for me
from the fire in her eyes
I fear what I read
would make me a writer
(I feared I would get ranks
from the way I studied for exams)
I fear these hills and gales
these trees and birds
these streams and streets
these men and women
these love and loss
would make me a poet
I fear this movie
is what I feared to happen

I fear this great poem
of my favourite writer is fake.