Nightmare

She quakes under the woolen covers
The closet creaks and moans and mutters
Mother, Mother, please turn on the light
Mother, Mother, do not leave tonight

Silence invades the little girl’s room
The only light, blue hues of the moon
She knows evil will come with the dark
She fears the monster will leave his mark

With her eyes open, with her eyes closed
She covers her face, nothing exposed
Trembling, trembling, the monster is loose
Sobbing, sobbing, for there was no truce

She could almost see the glowing eyes
And she knew that he had no disguise
To feel the warmth of his evil breath
The stench that summoned her nearing death

With eyes squeezed shut, and the body tense
The blanket as her only defense
She winces when his claw crashes down
And the poor little child makes not a sound

She wakes with a start, sitting in bed
She looks at the dark and shakes her head
A nightmare was all; now mental peace
But the noises from him did not cease