THE MONSTER

The monster will always be there
Ready to drag me down
Delight in my madness
Blind my senses
Tear my flesh and kill my spirit.

I won't cave to its cheap seduction
Lured by empty promises of sensation
Dizzying me down
Dragging me through its dark
lonely streets of putrid waste,
Treacherous alleys of self-doubt.

I bristle with awareness
I must stay conscious, ever-vigilant;
Turn away from the lure of the shadows.
I will not be swept away like
so many times before,
But sharpen my sword and stand guard,
A warrior at the door.

-- Laura H.
6-6-2002