Tears form at the corners of her young eyes.

She cannot suppress the fear inside her.

The demons taunt her from the room’s shadows,

And she flees—helplessly—to her mother.

I remember the days when my room at night

Was a scary place; a place of perceived

Evil. Yet in my twenties, the dark I

No longer fear, still blankets my old room.

Easily I sleep at night, with little-

To-no fright now. However, the demons

Still lurk in the dancing—but void—shadows.

I may not see them as I once did, like

She can see them now, but I feel their claws

Cling to my skin when I close my tired eyes.