#WritcoPoemPrompt82 (with an edit)

At night when I lay in my bed,
And drift towards my sleep,
The eve becomes a shadowy red,
The nightmares start to creep.

Within the freezing nightly chill,
My ears can hear them moan,
To hear them scratch along the walls,
I know I’m not alone.

Emerging from the closets,
From underneath our beds,
We see them almost everyday,
When they’re inside our heads.

You try to breathe,
This setting eve,
As night begins to come,
With many sighs,
You shut your eyes,
To think the day is done.

But then you hear them coming,
You know it to be true,
They scratch the doors,
Crawl on the floors,
All they can see is you.

You try to move so sudden,
But then you start to cry,
Your body’s frozen, sunken,
Stuck on the bed you lie.

Yet you hear them closing in,
You try to close your eyes,
The world around you darkens,
The sounds block out your cries.

They stare with eyes unblinking,
Your mind begins to race,
Its racing, pacing, thinking,
“I’ll never leave this place.”

They now draw ever closer,
You fear the coming death,
You hear their voices echo,
And feel their heated breath.

You can feel them smile,
They have you in their grasp,
Their claws now dance around you,
As you begin to gasp.

You think that this is over,
To think your life is through,
You close your eyes,
And make your cries,
This is the end for you.

Yet all that’s left was silence,
Your body undisturbed,
Nothing but the warming sun,
And common mocking bird.

This was never real, you say,
It was in my head,
Till something pulls you underneath,
The blankets on your bed…..

So as you lay within your sheets,
And hold your pillow tight…

Be wary of the creatures…

That go bump in the night.

© M T Lewin