Monsters

A very short, yet powerful poem that could have multiple meanings to whoever reads the words.

It is not the dark I fear,

Nor the monsters within.

It is the light I fear,

That turns monsters into men. 

Author's Note

All I ask is that you possibly write what this meant to you.

Reviews

[D Connolly]

WOW. short and concise. and you haven't used a bunch of vague imagery to imitate talent. I like that. I think to me it is the light that would show my monster to others, and that is what I fear the most. Being thought of as less than, or "a monster", because of my darkness.

[mattavelli]

Hello, K! :)
This is a fun mix of metaphors.

[David E Navarro]

This is such a powerful little poem. Using a twist of words and word play with ideas and concepts (a sot of switcheroo) this poem almost says the opposite of what the words seem to say on the surface, highlighting that they exactly say what they mean underneath.

At first the reader is wondering why the speaker does not fear the dark nor monsters. Shouldn't a healthy fear of the dark and monsters be good, so we can avoid evil?

And then the reader's mind is still going with the next line:

It is the light I fear,

The light? Oh my gosh, what do you mean the light? The light is good, isn't it? It protects us, doesn't it? Why would you not fear the dark but you fear the light?

And then the answer in the final line sheds the true light on the whole poem and you realize the speaker was saying the opposite of what you thought they were saying and that it reveals a greater truth and reality than if it was stated plainly.

Yes, it is the light that reveals that men are monsters, that it is mankind who brings the darkness and monstrosities of humanity to our world.

In an interesting way, the dark "covers" the monstrosity of these men, but the light reveals who they really are and so the speaker fears what he/she will find out when the light is turned on and all is revealed.

Remember, when the light is turned on in a room, that's when the cockroaches scurry for cover. Until the light is turned on, you may not know they are there. But the light reveals the little monsters and is a jarring experience to the person viewing this.

In the same way, the speaker of this poem is saying that they fear the light, because when it is turned on they find out all the men who are monsters in their life and it is jarring.

Such a powerful little poem. So powerful that indeed, it was selected by NavWorks Press for publication in our volume, Sometimes Anyway.

See my Writer's Café blog for more details: http://www.writerscafe.org/navworks/blogs/Release-of-Two-New-Books/126161/

Fantastic work, loved this. It says everything it needs to say in a very poignant and powerful way that leaves the reader to ponder.

[follywood]

Love it! Sounds like a philosphers quote to me.

[Not Colin]

he truth is ugly. I felt I almost knew the words. This resonates a lot.

[Darian B.]

To me, its more about a disguise than anything. A monster under the bed isnt that bad, we know where to look and avoid. Its when the light makes monsters appear to be men that we have to worry. Our friends and family, the ones we trust the most often hurt us the most because the light makes them seem good. Only when the darkness comes do we see them for who they truly are. Great poem!