Fly

I used to think there was
A monster underneath my bed
Haunting while I slept
Spinning nightmares in my head

Every night before lights out
I’d search, crawling on my knees
Look, listen, and look again
I found no sign of this disease

But soon as my eyes closed
My thoughts began to race
His jagged breathing rattled me
My feeble heart began to race

Toss and turn and flail around
Weep and sigh; lament the day
Chaotic sounds filled up my ears
Help! I cannot get away!

One night, in fact, I saw this beast
Gnashing, hating, bleeding lies
Wicked decaying spindly wings
“Oh fuck,” I thought, “he flies.”

Some time later I decided
To steal his evil wings
“Ah ha!” I cried; it’s time to fight
“Victory for human beings!”

Bloody battle did ensue
His advantages were clear
But I had heart, and I would win
My sanity was dear!

So up, up, up he flew
As I straggled far behind
But I won, as heroes do;
I caught him with my mind.

I tore those ugly wings of his
Ripped them off his skin
I looked at them in awe and thought,
“I didn’t think I’d win.”

And, so, to ensure that I was safe
I took the wings upon my back,
Wrote a reminder to myself:
Fly, fly, fly away upon attack.