Work Text:
A boy sits alone, pen in his hand,
thinking up stories, drawing creatures with fangs;
“Remember, remember…” he hears someone chant,
outside in the street, as other boys sprint past;
the window frame rattles, shaken by the icy november breeze,
the pavement is blanketed with crisp orange leaves;
a flash of light, followed by the boom,
briefly illuminates his small, dark room;
he clicks on the TV that resides in the corner,
now wrapped in a blanket, trying to get warmer;
at 6:25, with the twilight encroaching,
he curls up in bed, watching the story unfolding;
monsters and creatures, making characters scream,
mesmerised and captivated, enchanted through the screen;
offers to go out echo in his head,
glad he decided to do this instead;
content as he is, sitting there on his own,
there is something that the boy doesn’t know;
across the island the boy calls home,
another boy sits in his room alone;
and another, plus one more,
taking the total up to four;
four boys sit alone in four distant rooms,
watching monsters come to life under the glowing full moon;
although they all sit in an empty room,
they notice as a fondness continues to bloom;
for the darkest corners of a vicious storm,
where cold blooded rage feels cosy and warm;
where a laugh out loud and a full-throated scream,
can cohabitate, sovereign and free;
one day, these four boys will meet,
and find their connection flows so smoothly;
and when sharing childhood memories they’ll discover
on that november night, they were alone together.