Monster in the Closet

Monster in the Closet

I don’t really exist outside
the nightmares of the young.
I am otherwise a ghost;
A mere slip of the tongue.

The Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny,
Santa Clause; they get their due;
But I am just a legend
Believed in by so few.

Except…

The little boy in the dark
Hiding beneath his covers,
Afraid I might lurk in the closet,
He screams for his mother.

He knows I am here;
He can feel the heat of my breath,
And though he is innocent
He smells the decay of death.

She checks beneath the bed,
Pulls open the wardrobe door,
But she stares right through me
Which only terrorizes her child more.

And when at last she tucks him in,
Kisses him and leaves on a light,
I wonder if she has any idea
The last time she’ll see him? Tonight.

My pet – my newest treasure
I will train him well;
Another silent monster
will have no stories to tell.

For if we allowed him his tongue
He might try to make me pay
But who would ever believe
The things children say?