My tiny pink toes, Stone stiff
Afraid to stir, The Monsters
hiding under my soft bed
Freddy Krueger like
Finger knives
Creep and click, hoping to drain
Me of all my blood and other parts
Slowly, with my rounded blonde head
Hidden swiftly, tucked under the freshly
Washed covers, Skinny legs drawn to
Fetile position, Pink toes cramp
In their scrunched up hiding place
A thin neck protected by armored
Guards of teddy bears and thick layers
Of covers. The vampire's red
Eyes burn right through
My sweat covered head, my breath
Turns hot and stale
The shadows dance and twist
Shift to malicious entities
Ready to drag me kicking
And screaming, to the evil world
Dwelling underneath my bed
My chewed nails, No help!
My screams stuck deep in my
Locked throat, suffocating fear,
Heartbeat drumming in my ears
Deafening the echoing sounds,
Of the Monster's lumbering steps
Closer and closer, but curiosity
Kills the cat, my wide blue eyes must
See. What it is about to pounce me?
A bright light blinds my darkened eyes
The bedroom burns into focus
A figure stands, looming over my
Tangled bed. My forever tanned
Grandma stands, frown on face,
Her thin but strong arms settled
On her hips, brown eyes, quite unlike mine,
Looking at me in exasperation...
Yet her cool hands smooth
Out my Monster tossed sheets,
Produces a small glass of cool tap water
Tucks me in and says in her stern
Southern voice, "Get to sleep."
The warm, inviting brightness of light
Extinguished by the flip
of her slender calloused finger.
And the shadows once again
Invade and the Monsters taunt
Knowing daylight is still a few hours
Away... I can wait it out, beat them
at their own game, I think...
But in fetal state, with cold feet
Tucked under my butt. Head
peeps from beneath the growing
Warmth of my speeding breath
Overtaking the small enclosed space,
a small inhale of fresh air
I scan the room making sure
Nothing is out of place, but
then from the very darkest corner
Of my eye, a small shadow begins to grow
Spreading across the room
Dark tendrils slither and snake
Towards me, hoping to snatch
A child's wiggling pink toe, Loose
of it's protective shield. Again my
Voice frozen in fear. I duck back
In my dark cocoon, waiting
On the Golden burst of light
Pouring through my windows
Ridding every crevice of the ever
Creeping dark shadows. Fluttering,
My dry eyelids drop like dead flies,
and the Monster... steps out of his
Shadowy depths, lays a kiss upon
My sweaty brow, "She fought
Bravely this night," he chuckles to himself.
This little golden headed
Tomboy, of fire and spite
Light and shadow, she
Can stand in both
Worlds of gods and monsters.
