Get ready for sleep

Father told with blunt authority 

Go and brush your teeth,

Was boy’s top priority 

As father wrapped him in blankets galore

The boy felt secure and safe

But as he left, the place lost warm

The shadows had their space

In the corner the lamp grew with tooth and claw

In the ceiling the vent roared a guttural noise

The closet grew closer with figures that crawl,

Across the floor in their dark.

Dreadful. 

Poise.

But under the bed struck the worst

Arms and vines that sprung out first

The boy writhed and his feelings burst

He screamed a scream unrehearsed

Then the light burst in, father in the door

The boy went quiet as a mouse

The father went to the boy's core

All creatures fled from the house