Nightmare

In the dead of night, when all is still

And sleep has wrapped its gentle chill,

The mind can wander, far and wide

To places where it dare not reside.

And in this darkness, there can creep

A frightful creature, dark and deep,

A nightmare, born from fears and pain

That comes to haunt our sleep again.

It starts as whispers, soft and low

A rustling in the shadows, slow

And then it grows, with teeth and claws

A monster born of fears and flaws.

It prowls our minds, it stalks our dreams

A twisted thing, or so it seems

And though we know it is not real

It grips us tight, it makes us feel.

It brings us to a place of dread

A world of darkness, full of dread

And though we try to break its hold

It seems to never let us go.

But then we wake, we gasp for air

And find that we are safe, and there

And though the nightmare's grip was strong

It cannot harm us for too long.

For in the light of day we see

That monsters are not what they seem to be

And though they haunt us in our sleep

We wake to find they cannot keep

Their hold upon us, we are free

To live and love, and simply be

And though the nightmare lingers on

We know that soon it will be gone.