The Monster

I am telling you son,
There are monsters about.
And I am not saying this
To give you bad dreams at night.
You need to know, so that,
If you suddenly meet one
You will understand what to do.

You are my son,
And I am trying to
Give you the best I can.
But I have to tell you
That I only know
What I have experienced.

As far as I can see,
A monster builds up slowly
Over the years of your life.
I am not sure, but I think
They start as germs
That feed on pains you feel.

You don’t know they exist
Until one day, a person,
Someone you have let
Get really close to you,
Suddenly stabs you
Where all the years of pain
Have slowly congealed.

It is such a shock you
Reel back, bleeding and raging.
And there in front of you
Stands the monster,
Unclothed of its human form,
Leaving you confused and wounded.

The awful thing is
It changes back into
The friendly human form again.
So in the years that follow
You are forever wary,
Wondering in what person
The monster now lurks.

Copyright ©2008 Tony Crisp