Day Mares

My nightmares happened in the day,
 so I called them day mares.
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Children always believed,
monsters lived everywhere.
Under the bed,
in the closet,
in the dark.
I was eight when I encountered my first.
By then mommy told me,
that a special poison overtook daddy.
Then,
the monster took his skin.
Now,
I hide under the bed.
The monster never lived there.

Nightmares make illusions of pain,
 day mares make them reality.

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Outside the house
it’s almost as if a great war has begun.
All the sounds compose a chorus,
befitting the backgrounds of battle.
Screams of pain
ella, run away, i’ll handle this
Screams of wrath
lizzie, you've been a bad girl, now the brat pays
Screams of beseeching 
i was going to I swear, leave her alone
Screams of sadism
you know what happens when you fight back
Screams of torment
please stop
I can only cover my ears,
then wait for the bombing to end.

not all day mares have frightening features, 
some are masters at camouflage
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My hand is gripped in the monster’s claws.
Yet his pearly white fangs form a megawatt smile;
donning a mask of false goodness.
All of his work friends call him lucky.
you have a beautiful daughter, johnny
and an even more beautiful wife.
golly, i wish i was you.
His arm around mommy
is an ironclad leash,
keeping her close, 
ready to harshly tug if she strays.
He professes his adoration of us,
just like daddy used to.
they are my everything.
i love them with all of my heart.

Behind closed doors,
day mares lurk and wait to be tamed.
-

The beast sleeps only when sated.
Tongues and teeth.
His calming requires an invasion of mommy’s mouth.
I watched his hands grip her throat in a vice.
Tonight, she won’t sing me to sleep.
Tonight, she won’t tuck me in bed.
Her legs will be covered in bruises,
her insides are abrupt with blood,
her voice, hoarse and rough.
I still smell her sweat and tears.
I still hear his monstrous growls.

Humans can mutate into day mares,
inner monster released from it’s cage.
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The house is cold.
The floor is painted scarlet.
Mommy stands before me,
mouth agape in horror.
The monster’s weapon of choice,
pointed directly at his corpse.
A hollow hole impales his temple.
The fluids splattered on my clothes.
She came running when she heard the bang.
look mommy, i saved us.

We cower in the light of our day mares
but we forget we once loved the human inside.
-

Her body is draped across the monster’s.
Her shoulders shook harder than buildings during earthquakes.
Anguished shrieks cloud the room,
colors of conflicted relief and grief.
For once,
her lips press to his in her own freedom.
what have you done
i rescued you mommy, i defeated the monster
he was still your father and the husband i love
but mommy
have you no regret, you’ve become a monster

The darkness and light of a day mare stares into your soul,
If we don’t look away fast enough, that day mare becomes us.
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