Monsters in the Night
A Monster Under the Bed
And now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
But if I should wake in the night
Be it not from getting a fright
*
As the monsters creep up on me
And open my eyes forcefully
To the anxiety and fear
That I hold to my heart so dear
*
All the work that piles in the day
And my desire to stay away
From people and expectations
And from my own speculations
*
Of how I am constantly judged
All of my worries that have nudged
Me even closer to the edge
Until they can put a firm wedge
*
Between me and my ambitions
Darkening my aspirations
Leaving me the monster inside
Showing itself on the outside
A shadow underneath my bed—
Could it all just be in my head?
*
I now lay me down to sleep
And pray my sanity to keep
If I should wake up from a fright
Keep my monster away tonight.
***
Author’s Note: This was written for RM Stockton’s The Monster Under Your Bed prompt/challenge. For more information and to join in, follow the link below:
About the Creator
Stephanie Hoogstad
With a BA in English and MSc in Creative Writing, writing is my life. I have edited and ghost written for years with some published stories and poems of my own.
Learn more about me: thewritersscrapbin.com
Support my writing: Patreon
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Joy Ride
A fun and wild ride Don’t you dare have a thin skin Too risqué for that *** Author’s Note: This senryu was written for Matthew Fromm’s Senryu Critique Challenge and is about the 2023 movie Joy Ride. For more information about the challenge and to participate, check out the link below:
By Stephanie Hoogstad5 months ago in Poets
His Haibun
He does not like poetry; I write it anyway and do not tell him. It's true his face is not a poet's face. It is round and open, youthful; too apt to be compared to the sun. His nose is neat. It is impossible to imagine him smoking a cigarette, terse, full of cheekbones and tension. His warmth burns my fingertips. I am here for his fascinating body, the haphazard freckles I touch one by one; he is here for my eyes, just my eyes. A sunbeam sneaks through the curtains and pierces us both, sizzling the spices of his skin. I inhale and wrap myself in him. He kisses my eyes.
By TheSpinstress3 days ago in Poets
Comments (12)
Interesting
Excellent stuff, last two lines are my favourite. Way to stick the landing!
This was really great in poem form. I just saw this challenge, great entry.
That was fabulous. Well done, Stephanie.
Oh I love how you remixed that prayer! This was fantastic!
Oh I really love how this is structured, fantastic entry!
Monsters Inc. for grownups. Nice blend of childhood prayers & adult angst. Well done, Stephanie.
Wonderfully written, the prayer aspect is so clever. You captured the emotions of doubt and the longing for peace so beautifully 🤍
Good one!!!
Oh my! That was so creative to make this a bedtime prayer! You clever girl, Stephanie! There are some incredible lines in your poem. That monster of self-doubt is a scary and powerful monster that haunts many of us. Very relatable!
That monster seems pretty unavoidable.
Loveeeeee! This was so heartfelt. Great entry!!