u/Icy_Sport2597

Monsters are predictable.

They terrorize and destroy without apologizing.

Nobody really chooses what they're afraid of.

The monster chooses the victim.

Monsters need control.

That’s how they create fear.

Monsters need fear to feel powerful.

But they don't always come with claws

and sharp teeth.

Sometimes it comes with familiar faces

or beautiful eyes.

I was labeled a monster.

Maybe because survival looks aggressive.

But monsters don’t avoid confrontation

just to keep the peace.

I'm starting to believe

monsters aren’t always the scariest

thing in the room.

Some nights I'd run and hide from her

but somehow still got labeled the scary one.

That’s fine.

At least I wasn't what monsters

are afraid of.

Once upon a happiness
I knew two faces.

There was a time
I had my comfort
a time when their tears
were just another reason
to hold them closer.

Those moments felt
like forever.

And just like that,
it all disappeared.

These days
I try finding purpose
in their absence,
measuring what’s left of me
without them.

I can’t even walk through
a grocery store
without someone else’s kids
reminding me
how lonely my arms are
without mine.

Sometimes I close my eyes
and try my hardest
to imagine holding them.

But I’m afraid maybe
the last time I held them
was the last time
I ever will.

I like to believe
that when they sleep,
I get to walk beside them,
hold their hands,
be their dad again.

I just hope
they remember me that way
when the dream ends
and they wake up
and find I’m still
not there.

People need watches
that cost more than rent.
People need diamonds
without knowing where they came from.

People need first-class flights
for trips to Cabo,
and brunches on yachts.

People need status
to feel seen.
People need money
to feel important.

People need strangers’ envy
that they can call hate.

People need applause.
People need followers.
The likes on Facebook
and upvotes on Reddit.

People need parties.
People need drugs,
smoke in their lungs
and liquor in their blood.

People need fathers
to protect them.
People need mothers
to hold them close
and kiss them goodnight.

People need someone to love,
someone to hate.

People need people.
So do I.

But the people I need most
are the tiny little versions of me.