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the monster under the bed never really went away......
by Sandy M. Humphreypeeling away layers
I find
in the shadows
images tucked away
never meant
to again
see the light of day
let alone
go face to face
with the emotions evoked
daring demons to dance
into the open
from sheltered nooks
boarded up and reinforced
so that noone
not even I would ever dare
venture there again
like a child watching
a horror movie from behind
the safety of her daddy's
easy chair I cover my eyes
with my hands and peek through
barely open fingers
at the monster
whenever it appears
on the t.v. screen
only to close my hands
tightly and duck everytime
the heroine screams so I
never have to see
With my eyes squeezed
tight I can only hear it
breathing and still I
do not know
nor do I wish to recall
the image in the shadows
a memory barely
there and if I feel
that it will emerge
I retreat somewhere
deep inside myself
until it is safe
to open my eyes
and as the light
pours in the darkness
fades and the monster
is tucked far away
where noone will ever see
noone not even me 08/18/2006 Author's Note: Question: is it best to leave the monsters from our childhood buried or are we emotionally equipped enough as adults to finally face our demons?
Posted on 08/19/2006
Copyright © 2024 Sandy M. Humphrey
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Patricia J Reed on 08/19/06 at 05:24 AM i like this - especially the line "daring demons to dance"
good work
patti |
| Posted by Maria Terezia Ferencz on 08/19/06 at 12:19 PM Monsters lurk within the mind forever, until we exorcise them.....which is a very hard thing to do. Mine still lurks, I await the day we go to battle. Very nicely written, hitting the bullseye here. |
| Posted by Michelle Angelini on 08/20/06 at 02:49 AM Sandy, sometimes not (in answer to your question). No one ever faced new monsters by hiding from the old ones. Your words bring vivid reminders of how, as a child, I was terrified of walking down a dark hall to my bedroom at the end of it. Now, when I'm feeling upset or scared, sometimes darkness soothes me like a bird who moves less in a darkened room.
~Chelle~ |
| Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 09/16/06 at 01:38 AM You pose the $64,000 question. Thought provoking look at subconscious repression. If life is going relatively smoothly I'd say leave the monsters hidden. If there are serious conflicts or unexplained illness (mental or emotional or even physical), then the monsters must be uncovered. But lots of support must be given. LOTS! A really well expressed view of a universal human condition. |
| Posted by Glenn Currier on 11/30/09 at 02:53 AM Thank you, Sandy, for sharing a piece of the journey. Those monsters do have a way of hiding and then reaching their tentacles into our lives in ways that take us aback. To answer the question in your author's note: My experience shows me that sometimes we need someone who knows what to do to hold our hand as we peek under those rocks. Thank you for honoring me with this revelation. |
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