Liberation

I thought he was just a dark aura.
A ghastly personification of the horror
that may have been executed in this old place.
A ghost?
A poltergeist?
He was a welcome presence;
We had so much in common.

As time went on,
he seemed to be a ghost of my overly anxious mind,
becoming more volatile.
More angry.
Only showing up to torment me.

All these epiphanies of this darkness.

And then I believed I understood
what exactly he was.

This monster was darkness.
My darkness.

With his pointed ears,
jagged teeth,
sharp claws,
massive height,
and burning yellow eyes.
Always there;
always watching.
Always looming over me.

But he wasn’t my darkness.

As he tore my body apart
with his claws and teeth,
those yellow eyes
pierced the darkness in my soul,
ever present even though he was not it.

As I drew my last breath
with those eyes piercing me,
I finally understood.

I stared into those eyes,
the last things I saw before I let myself
sink into the peace of death.
Finally, there was no malice.
I understood his intent.

I was finally free