I grimace and kneels to examine
the darkness that befits
the shape beneath my daughter’s bed.
Are you the monster? I ask the hush.
‘Are you the monster?’ is all I hear
as if the shadow asks me back;
its voice sounds nervous; its question
seems legitimate.
I tell my daughter that morning will
sweep the floor soon. The dust of fear
will shift to a new address.
Kushal Poddar
Illustration Nick Victor
Kushal has a new baby to inspire him…..
Authored ‘The Circus Came To My Island’, ‘A Place For Your Ghost Animals, Understanding The Neighborhood’, ‘Scratches Within’, ‘Kleptomaniac’s Book of Unoriginal Poems’, ‘Eternity Restoration Project- Selected and New Poems’ and now ‘Herding My Thoughts To The Slaughterhouse-A Prequel’ (Alien Buddha Press)