Hearts quake at the very sight of it
Eye lids fasten to drive it away, only to find it once more
Blankets envelop little trembling bodies
Fear engulfs the human mind as this monster surrounds them

Knowing that anywhere they turn, it is awaiting them with the grimmest smile
Avoiding this dreaded beast is nearly impossible

The flip of a switch, a breath putting out a flame, the blink of an eye
Its primary target is the imagination of lonesome children
It delivers the monsters and creatures to the presence of a fearful child

Concealing them under the bed, within the closet, or posted outside a window
Its presence creates gut-wrenching sounds that make bodies shiver

Creaking doors, light tapping on the windows, subtle footsteps, ghastly breathing
This awful beast sends little ones screaming into their parents embrace

Crying for it to go away, begging and pleading to not be left alone with it
But it sits there, waiting to be reunited with the horrified child
Waiting to haunt the adolescent’s every thought
Ready to make the call, to send the monsters inches away from the petrified youth
Soon enough, the child slowly returns, knowing that as soon as he climbs under the covers

The beast will ready to attack his innocent mind and terrorize his every dream
As morning dawns, the youngster knows that in a short 12 hours, it will start all over again

As the years fly by, children grow older and mature
When they climb into bed they don’t let this beast attack their thoughts

Their imagination has put up gates to block it out
The only ones that posses the key to unlock the gate are the blissful and content thoughts
As they mature, they learn to think nothing of this monster that once haunted them
They laugh at its feeble attempts to intimidate them
They conquered the beast that once sent their mind amuck
But just as they were once frightened by this ugly, disgusting monster

A little child, somewhere in the world, is becoming the monster’s next victim
“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win” (Stephen King)
This monster’s name is darkness