At night in the dark with nary a sound
I crouch in the corner as the demons come ‘round
Curl into a ball, trying to drown out the taunts
Insidious and mean, when I’m vulnerable, they haunt
Beating me down, and making me cower
Suddenly, I feel I’ve lost all my power
The words that come floating in my brain
Forcing me to re-live long-buried pain
Tears fall, body shudders, I shatter
If I give up now, would it really matter?
I plead with my ghosts to leave me alone
They laugh, move in closer; I just want them gone
Dully, it shimmers, not fully bright
From out of nowhere, appears a dim light
I look up and the spark gives me hope
But still – can I really continue to cope?
Yet the glimmer of hope sets me aflame
My soul re-awakens, refusing to feel shame
“You’re stronger than this,” it shouts out to me
I wipe away the tears and breathe in deeply
Slowly, I stand, gathering my strength
I square off with my demons, and after some length
Chuckling, back to the shadows they retreat
Sharpening their claws, so I know they’re not beat
For the first time, I know hope is on my side
Next time they come, I’ll have no need to hide
And even though I know they’ll show up again
They’ll be weaker and perhaps I’ll banish them then.
~Kellie Kamryn
