Frightened

A taut little poem that captures fear not as spectacle but as atmosphere. Written in crisp, direct language, "Frightened" distills the particular terror of childhood nights into its purest form: the creak of a house, the shadow on the wall, the certainty that something lurks just beyond the threshold. Reed, better known for her Brenda series of children's novels, reveals here a subtler gift for psychological precision. The poem doesn't explain fear or rationalize it; it sits inside it, letting readers feel the weight of silence and the racing pulse of imagination after dark. What makes this piece linger is its honesty about vulnerability, the way it honors a universal childhood experience without condescension. This is fear rendered in plain speech, which somehow makes it more unsettling. For readers who remember lying awake as children, certain that the dark held something waiting, this poem will feel like a confession you never knew you shared.