remember how you used to be
afraid of the monsters at night?
remember the way the wind would
keen at your window, how the
tree branches were unsheathed
claws,
ready to attack?
of course mommy and daddy
already knew about this phase
and stayed with you until the
monsters faded out of sight.
every night you would insist,
there IS a monster hiding somewhere.
they corrected you, saying
there is NOT a monster hiding
somewhere.
and now, premiere of the monster:
there is a NOT monster hiding
somewhere.
remember how you used to be
dishonest to mommy and daddy?
remember the way mud would
stick to your shirt as you hid your
hands,
how cookie crumbs dotted the
corners
of your mouth, bystanders to the
not monster vs. you?
you learned to harness the power of
the not monster,
I did NOT throw mud at the windows.
I did NOT eat the last cookie meant
for you.
however, you soon realized it
did NOT like to be used for good.
it only wanted to change lies
into truth, not the other way
around.
remember how you used to be
oblivious to the opinions of others?
remember the way spiders slowly
spun their way across the ornament
boxes,
how the air became tinged with
regret
wherever you went, almost like you
carried it with you?
the monsters reappeared, fully-
fledged
one day when you weren’t paying
attention.
wolf howls rode on the wind as
branches
skittered on your window like rat
talons on
hardwood floors. this time, the
monsters
slunk into your dreams, and when
you woke
up screaming, they did not go away.
remember how you used to be
different depending on who was
around?
remember the way words would
worm
deep into your skull when the façade
went too far, how they festered to
give the not monster some company?
the not monster
By laura l