I was afraid of the dark

I thought terrifying monsters

With knives as teeth

And razor blades for claws

Would sneak up behind be when the lights turned off

Latch to my ankles

And drag my body down the stairs Watch wearily in cracks and corners

Waiting until I was most vulnerable

Then hunt me down and rip me to shreds I was afraid that when the lights turned off

I would be taken

Stolen and hidden away in a basement

Tortured and torn until left skin and bone

A toy to torment

And then you introduced me to a darkness It shook my hand and said it would all be ok

While drool trickled from the corners of its grin

It licked its lips at me while it promised no harm

And you watched as it took my hand and walked me away

And you did nothing

While it inflicted pain While I screamed from

a place in my body so deep I didn't know it existed

While it watched me shake naked awake for too many hours until I begged it to make my eyes close

While my heart was ripped from my body as I lay conscious

Blood spluttering

Throat gurgling

Gasping for air You did nothing

You introduced me to a darkness that taught me to find comfort in the corners and make friends with the monsters that linger under my bed

that made their teeth seem blunt and their claws filed down

You introduced me to this darkness And I am no longer afraid of the dark

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From Visa Rejection to Global Discovery by Judea Louise Espino