The little girl with the large bright eyes
Sits huddled under the covers.
She says, “Daddy, can you check
For the monster under the bed?”

But the monster isn’t there,
Only boxes and forgotten toys.
Her father looks every night,
Just to please his daughter,
Who is afraid the monster will come steal her in the night.

As she grows older,
The monster under the bed begins to fade.
One night, she forgets to ask her father to check
And suddenly, one night turns into a week
And then a year.

The little girl goes to college,
Fearing the monsters in her roommates and professors.
The worry turns to debt
From textbooks, meal plans, and tuition.

But then the girl meets a new monster.
The monster behind the desk,
Giving her orders and criticizing her work.

The monster becomes rejection.
The harsh world of adulthood
Has dimmed the girl’s bright eyes

As the monster under the bed

Finally gets her.