Monsters in the Night

"When I was little I used to be scared
Of being alone at night.
I'd pull the blankets up over my head
And pray that the sky would get light...

But then my mommy sat by my bed
And said there was nothing to fear,
'Cause nothing scary went on in the night
And she and my daddy were near..."
-From The Sesame Street Library volume 2

1.
They're coming for me
I can hear them scratching at the baseboards
Like little mice, but with long sharp nails
Trying to get out
Trying to get into our world
Trying to get at me
What will the do when they find me?
What do they want?
The scratching is in my head
It rings in my ears
It makes my eyes water
I can't sleep
All I can do is lie here in the dark
Covering my ears
Scratching lines down my face
Silently screaming so I don't wake the neighbors
But I can't make it stop
I can't make them go away...

2.
When I was six there was a monster in my closet
He was a large man with long scraggly hair
He was always covered in blood
And sometimes he would have a knife
Or a baseball bat
I told my daddy about the monster
But he said I was being stupid
And he laughed
He laughed at me
But he wasn't laughing when he opened the closet
It's hard to laugh when your brains are all over the floor
I started laughing then
And I've never stopped...

3.
My daddy is hurting my mommy
My mommy is crying
There is a loud noise
Like someone slamming a door
I don't hear mommy anymore
But I can hear daddy breathing
It's so loud
Even though he's in the other room
Now the door is open
Daddy is there
He looks at me
His eyes are too wide
And he's sweating really badly
Now he closes the door and walks away
I can hear the front door slam
I pull the covers up over my head
And try to sleep
Try to concentrate on the traffic outside
Instead of the awful quiet
But I don't think I'll ever sleep again...