When skies were dark and stars were bright,
Nightmare galloped through the night.
Far from the planet of her birth,
She brought her favorite things to Earth.
On her back, her sack held toys
To share with little girls and boys.
But though she entered dreams with care,
Around the globe, her gifts caused fear!
Her grunting goons with crazy hair,
Who marched in step, yet went nowhere,
Woke youngsters up to wail and weep
Till parents rocked them back to sleep.
Her skeletons with creaky bones,
Click-clacking teeth and chilling moans,
Caused kids to cry out with a scream,
“Come quick! A monster’s in my dream!”
Her slimy snakes that crawled and hissed,
With lips they puckered to be kissed,
Made children sob, their cheeks bright red,
And parents beg, “Go back to bed.”
As for the hairy spiders she tried?
Wide-eyed with fear, kids ducked to hide,
And parents swore, (as if they knew),
“There’s nothing here, just me and you.”
No warmer welcome got her bats,
Her creepy crawlies and beady-eyed rats.
Each toy she loved was shooed away
By children too afraid to play.
* * * * *
And so it went from year to year,
She got no love when she drew near,
Until one day a sight most strange
Made Nightmare’s life forever change.
Eleven mares with knowing eyes
Burst like comets through the skies.
Jewels on their manes brightly glowed,
While at their hoofs stardust flowed.
“Nightmare!” they yelled, “We found you at last!
Remember us, your planet and past?
Every night you shared your toys
With many grateful girls and boys.”
“But being wild as a horse could be,
You ran away, wanting to be free,
And we have searched for you since then,
Hoping to bring you home again.”
The words she heard, like a lightning bolt,
Gave Nightmare’s brain a mighty jolt,
So that she recalled all she’d left behind,
And longed to embrace her own creature-kind.
Soon children on Earth slept snug and sound,
Nightmare no more circling around,
While on a planet light years from here,
Nightmare’s return made everyone cheer.
Her best-loved toys won praise galore!
Not only that. She got asked for more!
“More bats, more rats, more spiders and snakes!”
Oh, what a difference being home makes.
* * * * *
P.S.
There’s one thing more I’d like to say
Before dreams take you where they may.
If ever you awake in bed,
Scary monsters in your head,
It’s just Nightmare, young in tow,
Showing them where NEVER to go!
