Monster

There is a monster
That lives under my bed

It has long claws
And red eyes
And it begs me to feed it
Every day and every night

This monster moved in
When I moved out
And away from the life
That I used to delight

An uninvited guest
So intruding and rude
He won’t go away
Not then, not now

He doesn't do much
Just sits there and growls
To remind me he still
Lives under my bed

There is a monster
That lives under my bed

He’s mean and he's dirty
And he doesn’t clean up
When he makes large messes
That causes me distress

I am too scared
To tell him to quit
To stop and to leave
For he is a monster under my bed

He is a monster under my bed
I quit feeding him a few weeks ago
And he's looming, not speaking
Waiting for the moment to pounce

Sometimes I forget that he's there
Sometimes I think that he's gone
But then I remember
He is monster under my bed

I swallow pills to make him stop
To make him seem smaller
Less intimidating
Or even disappear completely

The monster under my bed
Is not one I wish to see
When I chase down pills with water
I am slowly dragging him away

Sometimes I think if maybe
That x had been a y
The monster under my bed
Would not have grown so large

Sometimes I think that maybe
Maybe if I’d been different
If I’d been good
Maybe he wouldn’t be there at all

Maybe the monster under my bed
Is punishment for all the things
I have done wrong in this life
And others before

Maybe he will never go away
Maybe he will always loom in the corner
Small and unseen
But I will know

I will know that he's there
Still living and breathing
Still haunting my every dream
For I do not wish to see him again