Monster In The House.
He knew there was a monster in the building.
It was just around the corner of the hallway.
It always disappeared
as he made the turn
and headed towards the rooms of the house.
He crept silently down the stairs,
certain that he would find it sleeping
on the living room floor.
But, no matter how quiet he moved,
it was never there when he arrived
at the bottom.
He began to rise,
earlier and earlier,
and looked inside the drawers
and the closets.
He remembered the monster in the closet
after she died,
but that one he killed,
one article of clothing at a time.
Once, he thought he had it trapped
inside the laundry room;
but, when he turned on the light switch,
he only heard the scurrying
of little feet,
that he presumed belonged
to an ancient species of insect
that had survived for millennia,
and fed on crumbs
and leftovers.
After a long while,
he realized that his anxiety
must be overblown,
and he let his guard down a bit.
When she brought him a cup of coffee,
and kissed his cheek,
and held his hand,
he couldn’t hear the monster
walking anymore.