"there's a monster under my bed!"
i would say to my mother
as she tucked me in tight
kissed my forehead and put away the storybooks
"i'm sure there's not but i will check anyway."
she would say before checking under the bed
and even in the closet
in every nook and cranny
to reassure me i was safe
but she never realized
the monster wasn't under my bed
or in the closet
or behind the bedroom door
or in any nook and cranny
it slept in her bed