Alina Pleskova

Ghost Allegations

As with faith in a higher power,
it’s a deeply personal matter.

As with the notion of an omniscient deity,
I have trouble squaring being watched while on the toilet.

I suppose it’s assumed that divine beings & spirits
have better uses for their time—which, I suppose,
moves differently from ours anyhow.

Guestbook entries declare this house
haunted or inhabited. One cites some spooky shit.
Others mention supportive energy—a benevolent presence
some writers found useful when stuck on a line.

One mentions odd sounds at specific times
of day & night, how the writer learned,
from someone who knew her, that the woman
who owned this house loved first-person
choose your own adventure computer games,
& her presence was most felt while playing one.

This I believed. This I believed most of all.

Alina Pleskova is