at night.

Poem Written by: Zainab Anwar

Poem Cover Design by: Kirthana Karunanithi

There’s darkness,

and then there’s light.

A world of mysteries,

and surprise.

Flying fish,

and swimming cats.

Dogs meowing,

and bees chirping.

Up is down,

and down is up.

You are the ruler,

you are the creator.

What will you make?

This world is your canvas,

and your only limitation,

is your fear.

fear.

Darkness sweeps

your kingdom of nonsense.

Monsters flood the lands,

and your deepest, darkest terrors attack.

Animals howl in pain,

and the people flee.

Chaos ensues and everything you imagined,

everything you painted,

is turned into its worst form.

The cute animals are now beasts,

and your precious castles are dungeons.

Panting, taking deep breaths.

You open your eyes and a voice comes to you,

“It was just a dream.”

Trembling, you go back to sleep.

Hoping the haunting has ended,

but no.

The nightmare has only begun.