Paper Houses

It made the trees stiffen
hush their leaves
and draw their branches close
The owls quieted
tightening their wings
melting closer to the tree trunk
It made summer critters
Shudder in their winter nests
It pierced from the shadows
It loudened the silence
It was a mouthless scream
but all knew the voice
the voice that crept 
with starless nights
the voice dripping from 
moonlit ridges
the voice of midnight
the voice of the silver bullets
I myself
tucked my toes
under the sheets
and took air in small whispers
hunched at my window
the scream took form in the shadows
I could feel its midnight breath
through the glass
lips stretching into a grin
but no joy comes with the night
it slunk back to the trees
leaving clouds on my window
I couldn't make out where 
​the darkness lay on its fur
two eyes watched me from the trees
I clenched my lids shut
praying for dawn
to wring the scream from the leaves
wipe my foggy window clean
but for now
the world shrank within itself
crouching in paper houses