DOPPELGANGER

Stephanie Smith

My other self greets me at the edge of a dream

She warns me that death is drawing near

I sink into space where the walls are all laced

with a strange foreign language, an overwhelming despair

Falling deep into a darkness I can't escape,

my other self strives to take my place

An evil side that knows no bounds

The ground gapes open to swallow me whole

I pray to awake, if only so

to shatter the mirrors, tear down those walls,

to slay the demon in its cave

Stephanie Smith is a poet and writer from Scranton, Pennsylvania. In addition to Black Petals, her work has appeared in such publications as The Horror Zine, Carnage House, Illumen, Raven Cage, and The Devil's Playground anthology.