into the laughing

ha ha ha
comes the voice
from the closet
it isn't pretend
how could it be
cries the boy
he hears it
like he hears
the wind scrape branches against his window
or the sound of footsteps
engulf his shadow
then devour it a little more
everywhere he goes
i am haunted
he screams
why is someone
something
laughing at me
and why is no one here
doing anything to stop it
the noise
the ridicule
the evil
and the fear that ensues
he yells back
into the laughing
finger pointing
his parents to the closet
when he turns
to see
his parents in the closet
laughing
ha ha ha
laughing
at his beliefs
that together
they could ever protect
ever serve
because together
was ever
a myth.