At age six I'd sleep with the lights on, afraid of the dark

My eyes darted at the front door

Couldn't really keep it steady

The darkened themes

Seemed to hunt me

What's lurking in the dark?

Ready to attack me once my eyes closed

I'd be frozen by the corner

A blanket to my neck

But it's okay,

I'm getting used to it

Cause darkness doesn't change

It only takes a flick of a switch

To chase it all away

A little bit older now

Life got a little colder

I had no blanket to keep me warm, no pillows to hold

Hiding in the corner

Like a kid again

Talking less

No friends to talk to

No one even knows me

No one even cares about the poems I write

So who do I tell about the dark

When I sleep alone

Born to stay in an empty room

But it's okay

I'm getting used to it

Cause darkness doesn't change

So it's not a problem

Unless the range of it grows

The darkness keeps on spreading

This time I'm in my twenties

Plenty of time to grow

You know, reach my full potential

Get a job, a stable home

I'm still in college though

But expecting the unexpected

I have a brother whose expecting to be a father sooner than predicted

His road shrouded in darkness

Will mine be next

But it's okay, he'll get through

He's got to, for the child in the womb

Cause darkness never changes

It's strange that it never changes

but affects me the same way

My dog was 6

She got sick one day and couldn't sleep

So we stayed awake with the lights on, afraid of the dark

Her eyes darted at the front door

I could tell she was ready

I wonder if I'll ever be

But it's okay

I ll get used to it

Cause darkness never changes