The Beast Under the Stairs
An Experimental Poem
The beast underneath the stairs howls at the lightbulb
above its head and crouches down under the blanket
of shame. The moonlight doesn’t come through the grates
and the sunlight is stopped at the front door.
The outside is a scary and frightening tunnel to freedom
and at war, the beast cries out and vomits, and breathes in
and out again. The beast cannot fathom why
they are trapped within the shame, within the howling at the lightbulb.
And a smack on the door
And a kick on the bannister
And a slap or a punch on a wall or a floor
It is almost a fight...
And a shout down the stairs,
And a shout through the tunnel
It doesn’t matter whether at the beast or not
The shout shuts the beast down
and they crawl back under the covers.
The shame. The silence. The seeking of refuge.
For it is the only blanket they have.
It is the beast’s calm but the beast cannot
speak as a pair of legs takes a roll of tape
and wraps up the beast’s mouth.
They have no choice but were not saying anything.
The silence is forever through gritted teeth and
year by year the teeth disintegrate under bated breath and
muted voice.
The beast crawls back under shame and regrets ever being born.
It sleeps in its own tears
all alone.
About the Creator
Annie Kapur
190K+ Reads on Vocal.
English Lecturer
🎓Literature & Writing (B.A)
🎓Film & Writing (M.A)
🎓Secondary English Education (PgDipEd)
📍Birmingham, UK
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