Recently I saw a thread that had been screenshotted about the whole concept of children being afraid of the monsters that may be lurking in their rooms. The post was describing how the parent would put their child at ease: ‘Yes, there is a monster under your bed. But he’s a good monster- he’s there to catch the nightmares and get rid of them for you. Yes, there is a creature in your wardrobe, but don’t worry- he just likes the smell of our soap! He’ll make sure your clothes stay neat for you.’
Cute little things like that.
So my poem for today is dedicated to the idea of friendly monsters.
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The Monster under the Bed
Do you remember the time that you felt the fear, Fear to sleep, fear to dream, Fear of what could be hiding beneath, Your bed, waiting, Waiting for the sound of your stillness: The tell-tale sound of your sleep? Lurking in the darkness, Crouching, curling, sneaking, waiting, For the sound of your soft snores, Waiting for the stillness: The tell-tale sound of your sleep?
Do you remember what you thought it might look like, Was it dark, scaly, ridged, huge or small? Could it squeeze into the tightest of spaces, Then suddenly loom rather tall? Did it have six glowing red eyes, And yellowing teeth like knives? Would it groan with the rumble of thunder, Or scratch at your floor while it waited, For the sound of your restful stillness: The tell-tale sound of your sleep?
What if it wasn’t a monster at all- But a gallant creature of sleep? What if it was the one that guided your thoughts, Leading your dreams, plotting the scenes That you’d experience that night- A wondrous sight. Riding a wild sea on a pirate ship, Hunting treasure, swimming in the dark matter Of the universe, given by this creature, Who lurks in the darkness and waits Under your bed for the stillness: The tell-tale sound of your sleep?
What if it gets hurt to know that you fear it? When your feet dangle over the bed, You worry it’ll strike out and grab them, But really it’ll reach out to catch you- Thinking you’ll fall off and waken, Missing the spectacular adventure it made for you, Weaving the things you love the most into a dream, A world just for you. And it can’t wait for the sound of your stillness: The tell-tale sound of your sleep, So you can finally join it and dream.
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