go away monsters, he says
holding the boy close
milo has to sleep, so go far away
and leave him alone.

he tells his son that mommy and daddy
will chase away all the monsters
and leave him safe to sleep
and doesn't know how his wife the mother
watches, knowing that he's chased monsters
before, that the night is so much safer now
that the days have more orange
and the sun stretches longer
and the shadows dance