As a child,

We were told that the creatures of the night weren't real

They told us to hide under our blankets if we were afraid but what about the monsters we can't kill

What about the monsters that murder

the monsters that rape

the monsters that never see the inside of a jail cell because daddy has just dollar bills in the bank to make problems disappear

 

What about the monsters who's own dark endeavors led them down the path of becoming the monster they were destined to be

the ones who can't bare to look in the mirror because the reflection that stares back is a monster they chose not to see

 

What about the monsters who lurk in the shadows and prey on the little boys and girls oblivious to the world outside of mother's nest

the ones who use their children as punching bags in order to release their own stress

 

What about the monsters who lie, cheat, steal

the ones that constantly remind us that monsters are in fact real

You see,

As a child we were told of the fairytales that always ended in happily ever after

When all along we needed to be taught of the world's disasters

We needed to be taught weakness

of tragedy

Just because we live in a world of monsters doesn't mean we have to be 

 

They told us to crawl if we can't walk

Walk if we can't run 

Run if we can't fly 

And I don't know about you but I would've leaped off a building in a heartbeat without asking why because

As a child we were told to do the impossible

To ignore when the walls were caving

They told us to be Superman but what happens when Superman needs saving

 

They told us to kings

To latch on to innocence, hold on to childhood, and never let go of abstinence rings

But our crowns became handcuffs

Our castles became jails

We're not afraid of suicide

We're just afraid to fail

 

But as a child we weren't told of these things

We weren't told of the possibility of depression 

We weren't told that we were capable of opening the wring door

They forgot to mention that life fucking sucks when there's nothing to live for

 

Oh mother dearest how I miss your stories

I miss when the good guys finished first

I miss when the Prince saved the Princess whenever she was cursed

I miss hating when you turned to the last page

I miss never growing up but wanted everything that comes with age

I miss when guns only shot out water

I miss calling you mommy 

I miss being your daughter

Your little princess who still wore her crown

Who preferred to wear dirt

But I'm all grown up now

 

I see the world for what it really is

There are no castles, no crowns, no fairytales, no kings

There's stereotypes and rapists, boundaries on love, and abandoned abstinence rings

There's brutality and racism, bullying, and kids who want to die

There's murders and abusers, liars, cheaters, and birds who were never taught to fly

There's corruption and denial, ignorance, death, and barriers

There's self-harm and suicide, addiction, dependence, and girls without fathers to carry her

 

Oh mother dearest 

I know now that the creatures of the night are real

They live in all of us

Some of us become them and some are up for the kill

I'm fighting mine, Mommy

I won't let them win

You taught me all too well 

Not all kings have to be men

 

We were told to defy the status quo

These monsters want us to join them

But we'll keep saying no

Mothers and Fathers 

We will make you proud

When they tell us to be quiet 

We will be loud

If these monsters want to pose as humans then we'll give them a show

Stand when they say sit

Fight when that storm hits

 

This generation will be different

We will be kings

The highest authority of them all

Even if we want to

We will never fall

 

And yes they will look at us with our dark make-up, loud music, and tattoos as if we were the criminals

With blank stares and whispers as a message subliminal 

We weren't accepted in a world where we left our hearts open

So it's in a world broken

That we became the monsters