Are the Monsters Real?

I grew up with monsters like all baby boomers,
	You know the fictitious kind,
Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, Godzilla,
	Oh, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

But in truth, are all monsters in our lives,
	Only those of fairy tales and imagination?
What if those horrors take on life?
	What if in truth they walk beside us?

You know the ones that can suck your soul dry?
	They destroy your hopes, dreams and inspirations.
Their placement takes center stage in front of you.
	They appear from nowhere and you have no choice.

Many of them are specimens we were warned about.
	Watch out, the Bogeyman will get you!
Keep it up, Slenderman will steal you away!
	Don’t be alone with him!

Those monsters of the silver screen and folklore,
	They were all vulnerable to something.
A cross, Holy Water, a silver bullet or the coming sunrise.
	They would burn, die and disappear.

The real monsters though never go away, their damage never healed,
	Scars of hurt and abuse, build up and thicken.
They hold you down, keeping you back, always guessing.
	Can we learn to overcome and forget them?

Is it possible to forgive yourself for others' sins?
	Can the pain and loneliness be forgotten?
Is true healing possible, finding love for yourself?
	Discovering the true happiness we all deserve.

Roy Richard July 2023