She befriended the monster in her closet.
When it tried to scare her away,
It said it was much lonely,
Waiting in the dark all day.
She asked where its friends were.
It said they all have gone
To where they now hold place inside
The children’s veins and gory blood.
She asked if it had a name.
It said, “I am named after your fears.
I am the darkest of the shadows
That you cast upon the years.”
She smiled at the monster,
Lent it her tender hand,
And she dragged it into the dreams
Of all the precious buried lands.
She merrily hopped her way
Across the world within her mind,
And she plucked all the warm petals
That the monster housed inside.
She slowly taped the fragile petals
As it formed its daisy shape.
She gently pressed the newborn flower
Into the monster’s icy palms.
The girl opened the closet.
She let herself inside,
Looked back at the pale monster,
And lifted a hand in goodbye.