The Monsters Above My Bed

written by: Joy Joyancel

@JoyJoyancel

You might have pulled me out of the fire
But I won’t soon forget its smell
Or the dancing flames as they licked my bones
I was an angel when they took me
Now the flames have turned me into something unfeeling
My hands are numb even though I am told they are shaking
I lost so much, and you watched it happen
You repeat to yourself that you did all you could
That you were just a few minutes late
Any later and I would have been a pile of ash
You try to convince me that you would never leave me
That my skin will never feel the lick of the flame again
You forget that I was conscious when they came for me
When you all stood by and watched as I got taken
Murmuring among yourselves that sacrifices had to be made
And yet you tell stories to your infants
About the monsters that live under their beds.