The Monster Under My Bed

A poem

Source

At midnight the sun’s rays stinged my eyes

At the cusp of dawn the stars’ glitter made me cry

Sugary smiles were imprinted on my skin

The goosebumps chased them all away

The hot chocolate with shavings of love

was bitter blood when it drowned in my throat

Darkness watched over me

i was protected from every trace of light

I lit a candle that smelled like my freedom

and my room started reeking of captivity

My mum sung me a soothing lullaby

so my nightmares started hunting me in the daytime

The feather was too heavy a baggage

What if it could pierce my back?

I ended my day on a bed of roses

and woke up with thorns under me

At least you can walk

but i would never leap

At least you can see

but only ever what can never be

At least you live under a roof

but i feel rain even under cloudless skies

At least you can read

but only in between the sentences of a book that should be closed

I time-traveled to the future

and found the crumbs of yesterday trailing behind me

I wish i could tell you about the monster living under my bed

but how would you see it when it actually lived in my head

Pratish 2023