Dancing With Demons

by Kate   Dec 16, 2021


They say we all dance with demons when night
falls and the lines between our worlds thin.
When alone in the comfort of our own space
and company, we fall easy prey to their call.
But only some are tortured with their constant
presence in the daylight and how they linger.
Demons piggyback, latch themselves to souls.
One hand wraps tightly around your throat until
your breath comes faster, panic sets in.
Their weight placed on weak shoulders, too
much to bear, until your knees begin to buckle.
Until you feel that any thrown stone, any
misspoken word would shatter your existence.
Their vicious tongue delicately caresses your
ear as their devilish voice overtakes your own,
Destroying every remaining string of light and
casting your world in deep, depressing grays.
Nothing is precious, nothing is safe from their
probing fingers, dirty nails picking old scabs.
Painful memories and insults once entombed
are violently pulled back to the surface
By a voice so seductive you cannot truly ignore,
lured to it like sailors to sirens.
Until your mind is what they possess, plaguing
your thoughts until all you see is dark.
Once in their embrace, enchanted by a wicked
grin, to rid oneself of them is no easy feat.
For when you think that they have gone, when
you believe you’ve exorcised yourself free,
They emerge unscathed from the recesses of your
mind to bring you back to your knees.

2


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Latest Comments

  • 2 years ago

    by Poet on the Piano

    I am so glad to see a judge voted for this! I cannot comment much further other than to see how much you expressed in this piece. The heaviness of our demons, the way they can trick us, disarm us, and like your last lines say, visit us at the times when we may think we are okay or safe from them. So many fantastic adjectives, verbs and images in this poem that really made it come alive. I also like how you made the distinction that some may only face their demons at night, and perhaps there distance between worlds is closer... yet that is different than those of us who face them without fail, every single day. And it's not like we can simply smile harder, or hold our head higher, when it feels like anything could hurt and bring us down. I felt this line the most I think: "Until you feel that any thrown stone, any misspoken word would shatter your existence." That rings so true. Especially if other people would be able to brush it off and not let it affect them, it pains us, and that hurt needs to be acknowledged somehow.

    Well done!

    • 2 years ago

      by Kate

      Thank you! Always such wonderful and understanding comments from you. I appreciate them.