the monsters of our childhood
have more in common than we know
crouching in our toy-filled closets
or slinking beneath jumped-on beds,
these imaginary creatures
instilled in us a feeling of dread

we avoided the dark they called their home;
our innocent happiness warded it off
we thought we could outrun the beasts
by simply growing older
but as we grew, they changed with us
and live now in our minds

they brought the dark along with them
to camouflage my smile
my mind became as dark as night
with no stars or moon in sight
i was drowning in my cluttered thoughts
like being swallowed up by quicksand

i sank into this sorry state
where I felt completely alone
my monsters were my closest friends
and my mind became my home
my head was lost in a foggy haze
but, from the outside, i looked fine.