A Flicker for the Frightened

A lullaby, a whispered prayer,

Loving kisses on the brow,

Sweet dreams wished, the light blown out,

The sandman comes; he comes right now.

Mother tiptoes from the room,

A dark and stormy night,

Claps of thunder shake the room,

The toddler wakes in fright.

Shadows dancing, eerily prancing,

Imagination wild,

Monsters groaning, a whimpered moaning,

Time to soothe a wide-eyed child.

“A candle please, oh mother dear,

The darkness scares me so,

Fang-ed creatures, furry beasts,

Flying to and fro.”

“There are no creatures,” mother said,

“Creeping, crawling, free.

‘Tis shadows playing in the room,

No beasts to fear, you see.”

“But mother dear, a noise I heard,

At window pane ‘tis true.”

“My child fear not, the wind it howls,

A limb has frightened you.”

The candle dimly lit the room,

No monsters on the floor,

The maple’s limb on windowpane,

The scraping scares no more.

“My child remember in your heart,

For what I say ‘tis true,

God never slumbers; nor doth sleep,

He watches over you.”

“Now close your eyes and say a prayer,

His peace your heart can fill.

The noise and shadows of this night,

Replaced with ‘Peace be still.’”