Monster in Plain Sight

When I was young,

after I finished cleaning

the kitchen, I'd turn off

the lights and run up

the stairs because I was afraid

of what would be hiding

in the dark.

When the lights went off,

I feared a ghost would appear

or a demon or a monster.

As I got older, I realized,

you don't have to wait

for the lights to go out

to see the monsters.

If you pay attention,

your worst nightmare could

be hiding in plain sight.

There could be monsters

in your school, in your home,

or at your church.

They could be someone

you trust the people who say,

"I love you." Don't always

expect to see ghoulish faces

and witch-y hands

because sometimes

they are hidden behind

a handsome face and a tall,

slender form. A monster could

be the person you thought

you loved or someone you

thought you saw forever with.

Looking back over your relationship,

it could be that you see every

argument as resembling the

clanging of symbols, repetitive

and loud. It could be that

you remember back to slowly

seeing a mask slipping

to reveal a darkness

you never imagined.

Remembering his hands

slamming on the dashboard

of your car, you said you can't

go back, but you do. You

remember his "sorry,"

is a crowbar leveraging

a way into a closed door

as you see the mask

get pushed back on his face

like a pair of broken glasses.

But to him, you were only

ever playing the victim

in the situation because

you always overexaggerated

how he made you feel. The more

you trust him, the more you

question yourself. The monster

pulls you away from your family,

your friends, and even yourself

until you feel that he

is the only thing you have left.

You remember the way

you howled out with your

tears puddling your bed

when you finally left him.

Then you receive blackmail,

and it's an obituary that he

tried to write just for you.