Unhinged
The walls
Secrets hidden or hiding secrets
Something crawling, moving beneath the plaster
It knows I can see
Stopping when I look
When I know I have it dead to rights
To catch whatever, it is
The movement was only the beginning
They blink sometimes, slow and wet
I can’t explain it
Unhinged tears
Like they are learning
Tasting the shadows
Trying to shake away the dust
Seeing without seeing
Suffering to find a vantage point
But still learning
Tempting my suffering
I know they watch me
They want me
Want me to break
To see me collapse
But I refuse
I refuse to let the tears influence me
So, they brought help
There’s a hum under the floor
I hear it
Every day, all the time
A low frequency
Like something whispering
Reciting the letters of my name
One after another after another
No one else knows
Just me
And the walls
The walls know everything
I don’t understand
Not yet
But I’m not letting them win
The walls, the floors, the whispers
Even when the mirror joins in
My reflection swallowed
Taken away
Somewhere it waits
But not for me
Not for me to see
There’s nothing looking back at me
Wet glass
More tears
Not even a toothless smile
Or an unhinged grinning face
No teeth
I’d expected teeth
Fangs too
Nothing seems to go my way
Time has started dripping too
Clock hands drooping
Bending down but still turning
Numbers slipping
Something thick pooling
Melting into eternity
The past the past
The future could be the past
Or something reimagined
When something meant something
And the walls were sturdy
And mirrors did the mirroring thing
when dust got in your eyes
You blinked
I’m not blinking
I’m watching the walls
My sight is sharp
Whatever keeps crawling will come again
I’ll catch it
Wait and see
It’s not getting me
So far, the chairs are not taking sides
They wait, just like the sofa
I’m not sure about the lighting
Sometimes the bulbs grow dimmer
The switches never move
What’s inside stays inside
What’s outside hasn’t tried anything
At least not what I can see
The moon gets lower and lower
Like it’s eavesdropping
Like it’s waiting for me
Or it just wants to see
Wants to watch me
Watch the walls, and the mirror, and the floor
Wants to listen to the whispering
Like it knows something
Like it understands the why
And the what for
Doesn’t matter to me
I’m in here
Just me and the walls
I’m watching them
Everyone is on alert
I’m not sure of the game here
Is this practice
Or something more
Now it’s in the carpeting
Another sound
Like a creeping
Something coming while I’m sleeping
But I don’t sleep
I can’t sleep
The dream people don’t like me
The scream people don’t either
It’s me and me alone
Me and the walls, the mirror, the floor, and the carpet
And the moon won’t leave me alone
Always watching
Waiting
Unhinged
It becomes me
Wait and see
I’m close
Closer than you might believe
Additional Reading
R.J. (Ralph) Schwartz is an American poet, author, website owner, and online publisher. His writing spans several poetry collections—ranging from spiritual and romantic to fear-driven explorations—and even extends into science fiction. Notable works include:
- Normal Was the First Casualty – A Collection of Dystopian Poetry
- Hope – Inspirational and Spiritual Poetry
- Things That Go Bump in the Night – Poetry of Fear and Fright
- The Lover’s Thread – Poetry for Couples
- Poetry of the Human Condition – The Ups and Downs of Modern Living
- The Secrets of the Moon (a sci-fi novel co-authored with his son Sebastian J. Schwartz)
Schwartz’s work is described as purposefully wordy, richly descriptive, and thematically grounded in nature, romance, antiquity, and forgotten histories. He writes regularly on platforms he manages, including The Creative Exiles, a collaborative venue for writers, and The Gypsy Thread, which delves into offbeat histories, pagan lore, and poetry.
- Unhinged - September 28, 2026
- The Wind Carried Voices - September 16, 2026
- Commitment Understood - August 24, 2026
