Scariest Movie.(Poem)

Prairie Schooner, September, 2005 by Jacobstein, Roy

 
SCARIEST MOVIE 
 
   Growing up, the scariest movie 
   I ever saw was Invisible Monster. 
   This guy in a dark trenchcoat 
   and dark hat carried the monster 
   with him wherever he went, 
   in a hard-sided, snap-lock suitcase. 
   Every so often, to the dysphonic 
   strains of violins, he'd crack it open, 
   to give us a hint of its mighty force. 
   Hounds howled, lamp-posts toppled, 
   power lines hissed, we kids cowered 
   in the balcony. It was clear 
   there'd be no end to the havoc 
   should he open his suitcase wide. 
   Each night the unseen drove me 
   to the middle of my parents' bed, 
   twenty-three nights straight. 
   I can't recall the guy's face or voice, 
   but I swear he's still out there, 
   and my parents are dead.