Performed by Val Cole

-----
POEM:

There’s a monster in the closet,
he’s been there seven years.
He sits there in the darkness
feeding on his fears.

He’s never coming out.
He’s never seen the sun.
He tries to draw me in
so he’s not the only one.

I lay in bed at night.
I think I feel his breath,
his cool and smelly sigh
that makes me think of death.

I turn over at the smell,
I’m frightened to my core,
but there is nothing there,
just the silent closet door.

So I turn back over
and try to go to sleep,
thinking all is fine because
I do not hear a peep.

“Timmy, Timmy, Timmy,”
whispers across the room.
My heart speeds up so quick
I think it will go boom.

“You wanna come into the closet
when everything is black?
I promise if you do,
you never will look back.

I’ll hold you tight and keep you safe
with my heavy, hairy paws
and if you want, I’ll sing you something
through my jolly, giant jaws”

The monster is so lonely,
that much is very clear.
So I say, “Mr. Monster
why don’t you come out here?”

I do not feel his breath,
I do not hear his voice.
The monster had to ponder
this intimidating choice.

“I’ve never been outside
these quiet, closet doors.
I’ve never seen a face
that isn’t mine or yours.

What if the world is spooky,
spookier than me?
It’s all that I can think about
since you were only three.”

“Well now, Mr. Monster,
that’s no way to be.

There’s a world outside of there
that’s beautiful and pretty.
There’s a mountain and a forest
and an ocean and a city!

I sit up in my bed now
and say with lots of pride,
“You’ll never know what’s out of there
unless you step outside.”

From the glimmer of the moon
that shined through on the door,
I see the monster’s tentacle
step out on the floor.

He peeked his head outside.
The monster was not scary,
albeit he was big and tall
and very, very hairy.

But I saw a bit of nervousness
that twinkled in his eyes.
They looked like they were waiting
for a terrible surprise,
something from a corner
of my bedroom to arise.

My room is very safe,
so after all is scanned,
I head over to my closet
and I hold out my hand.

He puts his paw in mine.
I tell him he is fine.
He really isn’t fearsome,
in fact he is divine.

I walk across the carpet
to go outside my room.
He looks back at the closet
where he sat with all his gloom.

We’re walking through the house
and now we’re at the door.
He asks me what is out there,
so I tell him what’s in store.

“There tons of stuff out there,
some is good, some is bad.
At least that’s what I’m told
by my mommy and my dad.”

His eyes are filled with wonder
and a little bit of dread,
but I open up the door
and I kiss him on his head.

“Have a fun adventure!
Please come back again
and tell me what you see.
I’ll think of you till then.”

He steps down from the porch,
he’s made it to the walk.
He’s looking at a daisy
I drew there with some chalk.

He lifts his head up,
sniffs around,
sighs out, and I swear,
the monster is amazed
at the coolness of the air.

I wave goodbye
and watch him slither
gaily toward the street.
He smiles at the moon
and it’s really kinda sweet.

He disappeared into the black.
I knew he wasn’t coming back
because he felt release.
I smile when I think of him.
The world is often very grim,
and still he found some peace.

I lay in my room
without a peep,
close my eyes,
and fall asleep.