The room seems empty, if only at first;

The air,
thick with sage
burning away ghosts trapped in finely woven thread;
those which catch both dreams,
and nightmares,
those spread along hollow walls

If you listen closely,
you can hear the screams;
the defeaning, dying wails
of devils,
of demons;
of broken hearts,
and faces past.

Images of the light sensation of insects,
tickling your skin and chilling your spine;
or the scream that burns at your throat,
your beloved is gone,
you were too late.

Or maybe it's the gasping of breath
as you jerk from slumber,
your lungs burning while you gulp at fresh air.

Your heart slows,
and your breath calms;
the faint scent of down feathers, smothering...
begins to fade away,
and you tell yourself it was only a dream...
Right?