The Visitor

He does not knock, he is inside already,
He comes through walls and doors, steps forth from the pleated drapes, cccc
Drops from the vaulted ceiling,
The Visitor.ccc

He comes with many masks, and speaks in many voices.ccccc
He is both young and old; sometimes shy, sometimes bold.ccccc
He floats through the murky shadows, or rides on a shaft of light.ccccc
The Visitor.cc

When you lie down to rest, he falls into your sleeping bedccccc
In diverse forms and guises.
The Visitor.cc
Imp, fairy, goblin, nymph
Or gorgeous demi-god
Who tricks or teases you, or warms your limbs and heartccccc
And rouses into action that limp, lethargic snake,ccccc
Lying cold and coiled in your backbone's
basal knot.ccccc
The Visitor.cc

extract from The Visitor,
from Poems. K. G. Subramanyan.