I can see them

I know that they are there

Keeping me tense with their close distance

Following me without fanfare

I don’t know who they are

Nor why they stalk behind me

But these silent footsteps are silently driving me mad

And they’re much too close to flee

I’ve walked this route for years

And have never seen them go past

Theirs is not a face that I’ve come to face as a part of my routine

I fear this day may very well be my last