On Halloween
the monsters scare
in ghastly gray, both skin and hair
their one good eye will always stare
at where you hide
it sees you there

See this one here, look at the teeth on that
Would rip your mind to shreds if you ever let that inside your head
Yea! If you ever bought his *******
This one over here, this one's good, this one breathes fire
Look! Spits it out like a flamethrower
Would burn your whole world to a cinder just like that
(If you ever read his book)
One moment the sun is shining and you're smiling
The next... your whole world is in shadow and you're dying
All snuffed out... just like that
Depressed!!! Ha! Ha! You wouldn't be depressed
You'd be ******' suicidal, waking up every morning to face that... his words
Man! Your Life is over
Better get some bottles of whiskey and some drugs quick
You ain't going any further -
See this one here, ain't she cute but look again, look closer, ha! ha!  fooled ya
Just look at those gnashers, those gnashing teeth
And those claws, the nails on that
Once she gets a hold of you there ain't no getting back.

Yea! Just taking a stroll, a walk among my monsters
The monsters this world threw my way
This Zoo of horrors
(Some of the many rotten ideas that roam this earth).

                             II

O! They did terrible things to him
(But they would never do them again)
They had been harsh severe, mercilessly so
They had terrified and petrified him
Squeezed all the joy out of his life
He bore it all and the terrible weight of it so nearly crushed him,
And no one came to offer him any help.

But he didn't die...he nearly died... probably should have died... many times...
But somehow he found a way...a way to survive
And to come back... and now it was for him to dictate terms,
They were in trouble now and what's more they knew it
And one by one they began to sneak, to run away
All those who had ever offended him, caused him even the slightest degree of anxiety
The slightest hint of uneasiness or worry were now going to pay for it,
They'd had their fun, their time in the sun
And now they would answer for it
One by one he sought them out, one by one he tracked them down
They didn't scare him anymore, he caught them and put them all into little cages just for his amusement
So he could look at them sometimes... look at them and remember
Remember what they'd put him through.

                             III

O! Listen! Listen!!! Hear them howl, hear them roar... what lovely outrage
"The Children of the Night
O what sweet music they make...eh! Ha! Ha!"
See them grind their teeth against the bars
See them snarl and spit
With their beautiful red eyes of hate
You don't laugh anymore do you Big Fella
And you ain't so Big anymore
It's only me who does all the laughing now
Ain't that right !!!

(And the days and years they go by
But still, it's a beautiful looking sky
You'd hardly think anything bad went on underneath it).

And I look at you and am baffled
Was your experience...was it not the same as mine,
You say you'd like to know me, connect with me
You reach out and want to take my hand,
But how...how could you ever know me
The things I've seen, the places I've been
Live through this like I had to do...
(But isn't it the same for you also maybe).

Hey!!! Ha! Ha! You wanna meet some of my friends!

talk can grow some legs
it starts to walk around
it starts hatching rotten eggs
and babies lay on the ground

then they stand up
they start eating each other
they can't find baby daddy
so they all eat their mother

before they starve to death
some walkers start to see
they are riding daddy's back
they could eat all day for free

A grey sky, a little rain and long way home
Only a shirt, the faster I walk the colder I get
A flash of lights , a brighter smile, a hand out too hold
Its about to get worse, aren't you glad that we met

A quick drive, with quick talk as the sky outside weeps
A reverse park, an open door and a green welcome mat
A warm room ,the smell of food, says please take a seat
You must be hungry too , aren't you glad that we met

Soaked shoes off,  nice cup in my hand and  we are talking
Feeling happy, a little tired, on the table my cup is set
Are you strong,yes I say, let me see, shirt off I'm shaking
I like a good strong boy, aren't you glad that we met

A short walk, a new room a nice bed and I am sleepy
Bed is blue, cardboards white, walks around me like a cat
Says pants are wet take them off , says my shy is silly
Take a nap don't be scared aren't you glad that we met

Lightning flashes, thunder booms, an man and a child
Both in a bed, a hand on my cheek, says not to cry or be upset
A little sound, a lot of pain, that drink has made me mild
Now inside you are warm too, aren't you glad that we met

I look for beauty
even when it's dripping
in the corner of an alley
filled with all the monsters
underneath my bed
and inside my head.

As young children we are told monsters don't exist
We are told as young children they are simply figments of our imaginations
We have our parents check under our beds and look in our closets
But what our parents have seemed to forgotten to tell us is that the monsters live among us

No, these monsters aren't a black figure with long fingers creeping out of our closet
No, these monsters don't try to grab my feet as I get up at night
These monsters can look as real as humans and can be hidden as well as a chameleon
You see not all these monsters are humans

Some of them live in our minds
They are like a parasite that can not be ridden of quickly
The monster comes out most when I am alone
It holds me in its arms as it tells me how worthless I am
The monster makes the night so appealing that it will not let me rest

It will tell me that I am useless, pathetic, and nothing as I try to close my eyes
It will shut off my emotions during the day so at night it can remind me of how much pain I am in
It tells me to put slits and marks and cuts on myself because that's the only thing that will make me feel better
It tells me how no one will ever care what I have to say because I am nothing special

This monster is not something we can see
This monster is not something we can touch
This monster is not something we can taste

This monster is known as depression.