Anna Cates
Chocolate Shoppe Ghost
palpable only in dreams
the cold whisper by your neck
visible only at twilight
subtle shadows
slipping through cracked plaster
a secret hiding place
or each melancholy hour
and sometimes we imagine a creak
working mischief like a thief
leaving evidence
opened storage tins
sugar trickles or cocoa spills
a pesky rat
yet do not be too quick to judge
what you do not understand
the unquenchable longing
foreign constellations
the solemnity of night
stolen solitude
spectral winds quench
a candle’s hiss
toss gossamer curtains
gloss a hidden guest
About the Author
Dr. Anna Cates teaches writing, literature, and education online and has published a variety of books (poetry, fiction, and drama through Cyberwit, Prolific Press, Red Moon Press, and wipfandstock.com. Her short-form poetry collection, Love in the Time of Covid, won an Illumination Book Award. She resides in Wilmington, Ohio, with her two beautiful kitties.