The Monster's Not In My Closet

Dean Traylor is a freelance writer and teacher who writes about various subjects, including education and creative writing.

I.

I never worried about

Monsters in the closets.

I never cared

For the goblin under the bed.

The monster I feared

Never lurked in dark places

and never hid

in cramped spaces.

II.

The monster I feared

Didn’t have horns

Or fangs

or claws.

III.

She lived in a quaint house,

painted red, like blood,

with a lawn filled with

bone-white rocks.

This monster waited at the door

with a motherly smile,

beckoning parents with a wave

of her hand

to leave their broods in her care.

IV.

But, behind that door

that smile faded

and the hand became an open palm.

The beast within

Showed her true face.

And all you can do is wish

That a monster in her closet

Would come out

And eat her alive.

A Poem With a Curious History

This particular poem was one of many focusing on a particular theme. By reading it, one will understand that it is about child abuse. Unfortunately, not everyone saw that.

A heated exchange over Twitter occurred because somebody misinterpreted the poem as being "political". Despite being shown all evidence that it wasn't the individual held on to her belief, even twisting it further to fit in that framework.

Stating the obvious about this poem shouldn't be a thing to do. But, in this case, it had to.

Other Poem and Essay Based on the Subject

• Where's Lassie?
  The dog always saved people on TV. But, why couldn't she come along when something real and dire happened? That's the thinking of a five-year-old stuck in a monstrous place.

© 2022 Dean Traylor