The Beast Within Poem by Kim Cresswell

The night was dark and the wind blew strong,
I was in a place in which I did not belong,
The drinks were green and somewhat sour,
I felt like Rapunzel locked in her tower,
The smoke swirled round and was awfully thick,
The walls were made of posters and brick,
Lights did flash with the bass drum beat,
I could no longer stand the heat.

Outside I knew there lurked the beast,
Who hung around and made deceased,
Those who did not follow demands,
Would fall at his cold-blooded, claw-like hand,
Like Sleeping Beauty I lie in wait,
For this untamed beast to contemplate my fate,
There is nothing much that I can do,
For it is now far overdue.

As the cheers grow louder I think aloud,
Should I really be mixing with this untamed crowd?
My identity does not match that of theirs,
I do not do 'favors' in the wells of stairs,
My mind does not revolve around makeup or looks,
I usually bury my face in a book,
So I do not understand the reason for vanity,
When really it just infects your little sanity.

I order another drink and sit at the bar,
Watching the bartender with an odd scar,
Tearing a shape across his forehead,
Still showing some lines in which it bled.
He had muscles all over and over again,
Being asked to fight by various men.
I took a sip of my drink and closed my eyes,
To hide myself from the beast outside.

The clock ticked on through the hours of the night,
And my heart grew weaker from the constant fight,
The Beast was lingering again outside,
Lengthening his raging, terrifying stride,
He grew impatient for me to leave,
I knew what he wanted to achieve,
The time had come to give in,
The time had come for him to win.

I took a step down off my seat,
And walked away from the blistering heat,
The lights still flashed and the music chanted,
I felt like I had been commanded,
To walk away from all I knew,
And into the mist which was cold and blue,
The beast was ready with his teeth and his bite,
The time had come, and tonight was the night.

I staggered outside and caught a glimpse of its claw,
I didn't want to be in this position anymore,
The beast followed me down the street,
To where its mission would be complete,
In total darkness it sang its song,
Of how I did not ever belong,
Dancing in circles it teased my thoughts,
Laughing about how I got caught.

Then through the light, midnight rain,
A strange but tall figure came,
He walked towards the midnight beast,
And banished it far, far southeast,
He picked me off the rain-soaked floor,
And told me it would not come anymore,
He held me within his arms so tight,
And we walked out, and into the night.

This strange and tall man was merely a dream,
Along with the nightclub and the moon-beams,
There was no saviour to release me that night,
There was no saviour from my constant fright,
The beast still looms, and though out of sight,
I know its claws, its teeth, its bite,
It still nibbles away at my scarring brain,
It still causes me all of this blinding pain.

And though I'm followed through night and day,
I know that not all things can be bathed in grey,
Perhaps my tall figure will one day come,
Perhaps he will help me towards the sun,
But for now I'm locked in this eternal cage,
Of rain and thoughts and an inner rage,
I sit down and ponder the state I am in,
For the beast is actually something within.