Anna Elias Poet Free verse

It wasn’t me, it was them

There’s someone living in my basement.

They killed my family.

Every morning,
I leave food outside the basement door.

I have to.

If I don’t feed them,
they’ll get hungry again.

And if they get hungry,
they’ll come for me
like they came for my parents.

I miss my parents every day.

I can’t tell anyone what happened.

I just tell everyone
they’re sick
and have to stay home.

Who would believe me
if I told them
there were monsters
living beneath my house?

No one.

But I’m running out of food.

I’ve been eating less
so there’s enough for them.

There’s nothing left now.

And lately,
they’ve been banging on the door.

Harder.

Louder.

Hungrier.

I don’t want to die
the way my parents did.

Tonight,
I finally decide
to open the basement door.

One step.

Then another.

The banging stops.

Silence.

I reach the bottom.

Nothing.

No monsters.

No blood.

No cages.

Just a mirror.

I stare at myself.

I haven’t looked into a mirror
since the incident.

I was afraid
I’d remember.

And I did.

I remembered.

There were never any monsters.

There never was anyone
living in my basement.

The monster was me.

I killed them.

I didn’t want to.

I had to.

At least,
that’s what I told myself.

Mom said I was changing.

Dad talked about sending me away.

I thought they were going to leave me.

So I made sure
they couldn’t.

I stare at my reflection.

And suddenly,
the banging starts again.

Not from behind me.

From inside my head.

I look down.

There’s a letter beside the mirror.

For a moment,
I don’t move.

I already know what’s written inside

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