Light filtered through shutters, yet she chose darkness. 

For months she pushed it away, terrified 

of being consumed, eaten whole. 

Adamant in her refusal to sit with it.

Now she contemplates the dark.

Always kept at arm’s length

.

This unfamiliar,

meeting it for the first time.

It is not as cold to touch as expected.

Unwilling to go it alone, she invites 

Curiosity to accompany her

and this new nameless acquaintance

to hide under the blanket together.

She turns to face them,

leans in to hear their voices

more surprised than terrified.

© Alicia Grimshaw 2017

Photo taken in Amsterdam 2014