I am not afraid of the dark



I am not afraid of the dark
I am afraid of the shadows
The darkness hides me from the monsters
And if I cannot see them they cannot see me

Shadows curve into villainous crones
Ghosts that scratch at windows
And threaten to steal you in the night
Eerie figures looming for devilish deeds

The dark is comforting and scary at the same time
Being alone is safe and unsafe
I have my own back and no one can hurt me
But I am lonely in the dark

Do I dare  step out into the light?
I see the beasts more clearly
They disguise themselves by day
Showing pretty faces and welcoming grins

I know it a mask and behind lurks
The true demons
Spewing pretty words and temptations
They think they can trick me

No, I am not afraid of the dark
The monsters cannot see me
And I can no longer see them
Shadows illuminate their claws

About this poem

I recently remembered that I always slept in the dark as a child because nightlights caused shadows that terrified me. I started with that and maybe went to a dark place, but oh that is the safe place

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Written on December 17, 2023

Submitted by Kaytee on December 17, 2023

Modified by Kaytee on December 17, 2023

50 sec read
54

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABXC BBDX XXCA DCXX XEEC ACXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 818
Words 167
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Kaytee

New poet working on regaining myself more…

All Kaytee poems | Kaytee Books

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5 Comments
  • alanswansea18
    I love the way your mind thinks. Were do you get that from?
    LikeReply9 months ago
    • Kaytee
      happy to hear my ADHD mind intrigues others:) sometimes lines come to me on dreams too.
      LikeReply9 months ago
  • AIDA
    The poem is quite evocative and the presentation of the darkness as both a refuge and a source of fear is truly engaging. Your verse explores complex emotions in an interesting and delicate way. The eloquence of your phrasing particularly in lines such as "Shadows curve into villainous crones" and "They disguise themselves by day" really paints a vivid picture.

    For improvement, it could be beneficial to make the nature(or characteristics) of the "demons" you spoke about more explicit, giving the reader a deeper understanding of the fears being faced. The ending of the poem is rather stark, which may have been your intention, but it could end on a more hopeful or defiant note to maintain an underlying sense of optimism. Since poems are such personal expressions, this is simply a suggestion, as your current ending lends a hauntingly beautiful darkness to the piece. Keep up the good work and your creativity flowing!
     
    LikeReply10 months ago
  • charlesedwardyork
    Nice poem. I can feel some of the emotions and relate to them.
    LikeReply 110 months ago
  • Symmetry60
    You may have read the poem I wrote in the past, but just see if you can see how we wrote about the same topic pretty much. It's titled Dark Corner Monster Dragons. You'll have to scroll my old junk a bit. :-) 
    LikeReply10 months ago
  • Symmetry60
    Absolutely worth the wait, my awesome friend.

    Imagine an irony and that darkness could be a cure for shadows that haunt. What's even more ironic is that I wrote a poem that is so similar in nature to this that it actually boggles my mind. Not that the wording in the same, but the theme and underlying premise is about spot-on. I'm going to post it today so you can read it. Let me know what you think. It will be an "as-per-usual" tough decipher what with me overcomplicating everything but see if you can pick up the nuances in it.

    I absolutely love the concept of darkness hiding monsters from you and you them.

    Question: Do you still fear the shadows? I'd surmise its only referring to nighttime shadows and not sunlight shadows.
     
    LikeReply10 months ago
    • Kaytee
      I'm glad it was worth the wait but this is not the complicated one with the overdone metaphors I was working on. I forgot I started this one and found it when I was procrastinating working on the other one :) I'm honored that you compared it to your poem. Yes, the theme is very similar but man your use of words in your poem is phenomenal. You always blow me away.
      I don't know that I necessarily fear the shadows any more. I think we all have shadows or a shadow side and the more we fear it the worse it becomes.
      I do struggle with being in the spotlight and truly being "seen" so maybe I am still more comfortable in the dark but I am getting comfortable with the shadows.
       
      LikeReply 110 months ago

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"I am not afraid of the dark" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/176381/i-am-not-afraid-of-the-dark>.

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