Monsters of Men

We're told, as children,
Monsters aren't real
But, as children, we would imagine them
Wide as door frames
With heads skimming ceilings
Fangs dripping
Tongues hanging
Jagged finger nails
Dragging

We believed, as teenagers,
The only true monsters
Were inside us
Not hiding in closets
(they were left vacant for skeletons)
We knew the demons
Perched on our shoulders
Chipping

We understand now
Monsters of the imagination
Do not exist
The monsters that do
Are beyond imaginable

They attack the innocent and voiceless
Manipulate the common man, cowards
They tease the devil
And then repent
"Hey, it was just for fun"