My Monster Poem by Emily Casbourn

When a fear hits you, then you know you've been hit by a monster. Fear is what motivates many writers, directors and students to create certain works of art. My monster however plagues only a few minds at a time, depression can harm the person it's affecting most of all, but those around that person wind up getting hurt as well.
The thing that makes my monster so scary, dangerous and fear filling is the fact that most people don't know how to control it. Depression is a dark shadowy creature, it lurks in the closet, under the bed, behind the doors and in your mind. He feasts upon those happier thoughts you hold near and dear to you, he hungers for more, so he causes you to create pain for those around you.
It is shunned by society because, society itself has no means of knowing how to fully stop a shadow from causing chaos. His long fingernails, tall figured body as he stands up, when he slouches he resembles a child's memories of the boogie man. Fighting him off only lasts for a short while, then he comes back with a vengeance list longer than a Christmas wish list.
The anxieties, hatred, self loathing and pain that resides within any one person's mind has helped create this dangerous monster. He harms you by taking your heart and squeezing it the tiniest amount, he only stops if you're strong enough to hold him at bay or if you succumb to the pain he creates within you.
Depression is my monster, he stays at bay because he can't do anymore damage. I fight a battle to win against him, sometimes he wins against my efforts. He only knocks me down for a day or so, but then I am back up fighting to be happy and live my life again.