Footsteps
A knock
Then next to the bed
Does my frightened young daughter appear, and say
“I’m scared, Papa
A nightmare woke me up and I can’t sleep
Could I sleep with Mama and you?”

“Crawl in my darling
It’s nice and warm, and there’s plenty of room
And that dream won’t be harming you here”

And so we sleep
And hold back the demons and ghosts till the morning arrives
They seem to flee more easily
Faced with a foe like the three of us there
Side by side

“Of course my darling
Just sqeeze in between us, here’s a pillow for you
And don’t worry now darling, don’t fear”

The mother we run to, the lover we cling to
The bedside we seek in the night
It’s a walk down the hall that we make when we’re small
And we make for the rest of our lives

And at dawn, with our clothes
We put on our best brave faces and go our separate ways
And hold fast to the hope
That at the day’s end, we can put them away again
And hear someone say

“Crawl in my darling
It’s nice and warm and there’s plenty of room
And bad dreams won’t be harming you here
Crawl in my darling
Just squeeze in between us, here’s a pillow for you
And don’t worry now, darling, don’t fear”