In the shadowed depths of my mind, they creep, Monsters born from thoughts I keep, Silent whispers, haunting cries, Twisting truths and crafting lies.

In the dead of night, they stir, Phantoms of the things that were, Regrets that claw, doubts that bind, Feeding on my fractured mind.

At night, when I am alone in bed, They whisper things inside my head. They tell me that I will never be enough, That I’m a waste of space, unworthy of love.

They feed off my guilt, my shame, and my sins. They say I am a monster, in a woman’s skin. They laugh as they tell me that I will never be saved, And promise they’ll haunt me till I’m dead in my grave.

Echoes of a past misled, Dreams long buried with the dead, Every fear and every tear, Fuels the monsters lurking near.

Chains of guilt, unyielding tight, Bind me in the blackest night, Despair’s cold hand upon my heart, Tearing every inch of my soul apart.

Memories like jagged glass, Slicing me open with the shards of my past. Shadows lengthen, darkness falls, As the mind's grim monster calls.

In this abyss, I stand alone, Battling demons of my own, Searching for the light that hides, The girl who I know still lives inside.

And even in the darkest place, I seek a glimpse, a fleeting grace, A whisper of a dawn to find, To slay the monsters of my mind.

there’s a monster under my bed, instead of asking mum to scare him off, i told her to sing to him, so he stayed, because i was lonely, and mum was not there, it was only, me, him, and my tears.

In the dead of night, when shadows creep, While the rest of the world is fast asleep, A monster lurks under your bed, twisted and grim, It slithers forth, creeping closer, inch by inch, It’s long, clawed fingers, tapping slow, Waiting for its time to hunt its prey.

Close your eyes and hold your breath, Pray morning comes, and saves you from death. For in the darkness, A monster with blood red eyes and sinewy limbs, Is hungry for you.

So heed this warning, if you dare, Keep close your eyes, say a fervent prayer, For in the darkness, it waits unseen, The monster under the bed is waiting for you.

There’s a monster under my bed. I hear it breathing. Feel it breathing. As if each breathe it takes, lifts me up ever so slightly. I can smell it. The same aroma I smelt not long ago, perhaps only 20 minutes ago some where in the house. My body is rigid with anticipation, adrenaline. I’m ready to pounce the first chance I get. I cannot let it win over me again, not again. Every day, every night, I have to find it before I lose this battle again.

This started 7 years ago. This monster introduced itself to me. It held my hand and let out an enormous scream. A scream that seared itself into my flesh and dreams. I shudder every time I remember that day, the recollection itself haunts me, as it still does as it sitting under my bed. Waiting for me, waiting for it.

I hear I grunt. Quiet enough, but loud enough. I know that it knows, that I am mustering my strength. Waiting for me to disturb it’s resting place, so we can find out who will win this time. One of us needs to initiate. Neither of us will. Waiting. Waiting. Another grunt. What does the grunt mean? I’ll keep waiting.

This particular monster, is a truly repulsive one. I hear it storming and stomping around the house during the day. I avoid it when I can. If I cannot, I have to deal with it’s wrath. It has claws that feel like razors. It’s hair is long and dense. Not something you want to catch on a bad day. I’m the only one it listens to. Occasionally listens to. Rarely listens to. I don’t know why but I consider myself lucky.

I’m ready. I can still hear it’s breathe. Smell it’s scent. Feel it’s presence. I know it’s there. I fill my lungs with the stale night air. Let it back out to fill the space it just held. I slowly creep to the edge of my bed, getting ready. I count to 3. One.... two...thr.. a hand grabs me! Pulls me of the edge of the bed. I’m on the floor. Shocked and full of gitters. I look to my left, under the bed. I see it. It’s eyes, it’s mouth, it’s thick hair. I see the monster.

My sister. My baby sister that I love oh so much. She shouts “found you!” I don’t tell her I knew she was there all along. “You did”, I say with a smile. I guess she wins again.

There’s a monster under my bed I can feel his presence The heaviness of it makes it hard to breath His red eyes glare at me Waiting for me to drift to sleep So he can snatch me and drag me with him to his hallow home My eyes are shut now He slithers out of the darkness His body hovers over mine Although my eyes are shut I know he is there waiting for me I can feel his warm muggy breath on my skin His long gruesome claws caress my tender arms Leaving a trail of red scratches behind The pain is unbearable, I wake up My eyes are wide open As soon as I laid eyes upon him I was petrified His eyes are glowing red and filled with hatred Maggots have eaten away his nose His teeth are long, sharp, and are stained a terrible yellow Worms maggots and spiders were creeping through the cracks He places his greasy hand over my mouth before I could even make the tiniest of whimpers His entire hand fit around my head while it still covered my mouth Like this he dragged me to his home under my bed I tried to move To hold grab onto the covers, bed post, a loose floor board, but it was pointless My body was paralyzed with fear My mind kept screaming Yelling at me to move, fight back, anything but lay there motionless It was useless This hideous thing was dragging back to his home and there is nothing I could do about it Although terrified of my fate I kept my eyes open to see the last bit of light and hope before the utter darkness took over All I could see now were his red eyes glaring back at me We must of been there for an hour just staring at each other before he turned around away Now all I could do was rely on my senses to help me figure out what was happening I could hear a dreadful scraping, like chalk on a chalkboard Then there was light and warmth. Fire For a second it brought me comfort Then I saw it A dual bladed-knife coming right toward me! I was finally able to scream. I’ve never screamed this loud in my life. I knew my life was over right then and there. I waited fore the pain. The coldness of death. Even the warmth of blood dripping down. It never came though. Instead I was shaking. I heard voices screaming my name. It was not coming from the hideous creature holding the knife. “Billy! Wake up, you’re okay!” My eyes opened I was still screaming Holding onto my stuffed bear I looked around and saw my mom. She held me tight as I cried into her arms “Hush now it was just a dream” I knew it wasn’t Whatever that thing was would come back for me. Next time I would be ready

There’s a monster under my bed Though it might just be my meds Like my mother and father said “Lilith, it’s all just in your head.”

The monster tells me these things The words make my brain sting I know I shouldn’t give in But thoughts continue to ring

My walls are painted white My bed coverings tucked in tight No other sign of living life Except for me speaking my fright

They held my arms bound My family does not come around Silence is the only sound Other than the words of the hound

I can hear the voices of the dead All emotions I feel are dread There’s a monster under my bed But he lives inside my head