Poem: I am the Monster

I am the Monster

by Alyson Schroll

I am the monster under this little girl's bed.

She crawls into bed each night,

prays a little prayer,

and wishes the light to the bathroom could always stay lit

even if she never had to go.

She doesn't know why I'm here.

It's the dreams. I do what I can to stop the dreams.

I try to stop the pain the nightmares cause.

She should never have to feel the hurt that she does in her sleep.

My growl is fierce, and I fight every chance I get.

Space is small, and my reach is just short.

Some dreams, I can’t stop.

That little girl doesn't understand what I try to do.

Some nights she whispers,

"Hey Monster, can you turn on the light? I have to go potty."

Other nights she screams at me,

"I hate you. Stop helping."

She'll kick and slap.

"Go away. I want to be alone."

Monsters can cry too.

But you see, I love her too much to let her face those dreams alone.

~~~

My Commentary

This poem is one of the earlier ones I wrote after my sister, Anna B, returned home after a tenth month stay away from us--though her move was supposed to be permanent and her coming home was supposed to be impossible. The story kind of grabs on to these feelings I had when I realized she hated me. She struggled to understand what my expression of love was to her, and she accused me of not loving her because I didn't let her come home. Her words hurt, and it's hard to love people who hate you. Love isn't contingent on what you get back, and thank goodness it's not, because God would never love us in any way if that were true.

~ Alyson

Comments

How to Create a Fact Manual for a Book Series {Peek into My Next Story}

I started my current story, Ideal Lies, last year, and this time, I decided to make it a trilogy. This story is a mix between dystopian and utopian. Living in the idealistic northern Ideal States of America, two teenagers are caught believing in an imperfect religion and go on the run as criminals to rescue their stolen family. How I managed to keep this to myself until now, I'm not sure : ) Writing a series of any kind was something I'd never done before. I quickly found out that I needed a way to keep track of all the facts. I tried memory. My memory failed. I tried little notes. I lost them. I tried computer files. It took me too long to find what I needed. So, with nothing else to do ... I created a fact manual. I spent hours gleaning the information from my memory, notes, and files. I created new documents and organized facts so I could put it all together in one cohesive notebook. I documented everything that had happened so far in my boo

Interview with Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson {and a giveaway}

I would like to welcome Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson to my blog today! I am so excited that they took the time to do an interview with me. Here is a little bit about them: Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson have written a combined two dozen speculative and contemporary novels for teens. They also blog obsessively at www.goteenwriters.com . When not writing or blogging, they can be found at the teen table at writer's conferences or wherever chocolate is being given away. Come hang out with Stephanie at www.stephaniemorrill.com and Jill at www.jillwilliamson.com . Why did you choose the genre that you did? Stephanie: I feel like “contemporary young adult” chose me, honestly. I wanted to write deep, serious books that might get studied in English classes … but I never had any ideas for deep, serious books, so that flopped. My ideas, even after high school, were always for stories about girls and the boys they liked and the complica

10 Weird Things Writers Do ... And Are Perfectly Okay

No writer will ever claim to be a normal human being. We process information differently, we observe life differently, and we feel emotions differently. If you're a writer reading this, be encouraged. Yes, you are weird, and there is no avoiding it. But, there are many writers that can relate to a smidgen of what your life is like as a writer. If you are not a writer reading this, be understanding. We know we're weird, and it would be so awesome if you could just nod, smile, and say, "I'm glad you enjoy writing." It's okay to be weird. Personally, I think it's even cooler if you're weird and a writer at the same time. 1. We may stare at you without realizing it. Sometimes, we see something that reminds us of characters and zone out for a bit. 2. We may also stare blankly at flowers or rainbows, also thinking of something entirely different. (this was to counteract the slight creepiness of that first point.) 3. We may

Pages From My Journal

Search This Blog