The Beast Inside

It’s a wretched place this mind of mine,

a place for monsters and fears to dine.

A growling beast lurks within,

the keeper of all my fears and sin.

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It rips apart my soul with ease

and round its neck hangs the keys

for this rotting cell I'm trapped inside,

my hopes and dreams chained and tied.

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Horrible thoughts twist and whirl,

things that would make your toes curl.

I try to silence them, push them down,

but they pile up and I begin to drown.

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Scars spread across my skin,

a mercy compared to the beast within,

a pest that cannot be killed by bleach,

oily serpents that hiss and screech.

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Despite my many attempts to delay

this violent rot and painful decay,

control slips away like rushing water,

I’m a lamb promised to my slaughter.

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Darkness cloaks my whole mind,

There’s no light, I’m stumbling blind.

All my swords are beaten blunt,

no defence against the beast on the hunt.

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I’ve no choice but to suppress and hide

from the ravenous beast eating me alive.

I shout with pain and fear and rage,

cry for help and rattle my cage.

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I struggle with all my might,

but there’s no way to win this fight.

No one else can set me free,

not when the beast inside is me.