Beast under my bed Whom I once was afraid Nights you would snarl Dreams you would rob Sleep you would keep I am no longer scared The grey in your fur Grey in my own Fangs decayed Claws blunted Visions blurred We are old now Hollow foe We are fading Not skin and bone But frayed ropes Threadbare clothes Time the true foe Wounded wolf Am I not your cub? You licked mine Warned me Warmed me Taught me to roar Dear beast Can we reminisce? Of howls shared Tears shed Blood bled How far we've come So, how about it? My hand is to thee Shake and be friends Bury hatchets, holster guns Writing nights can be lonely Let us keep one another company
Oh I remember it well, being so young that all the world was so very big, and so very scary. Like many children, there was a beast underneath my bed (or at least I thought there was). Over time, however, that beast became less frightening, to the point where I would check to see if it was there, if only to know that I wasn’t alone.
That old foe has been with me on strange, troubling nights indeed…
Auf Wiedersehen
AJ Carney 