All alone…in a house…can be scary,
For, our imagination can simply run wild;
And, so very much more,
When you are a small child!

As the lightning flashed about me,
Very strange shapes…it did form;
Everything looked so unreal…so scary,
Yes, it was a dreadful storm!

And, when the thunder rolled about me,
The loud banging…overhead;
It was like cannons…turned loose,
Leaving behind it…so many things to dread.

Shutters banged…back and forth,
The wind grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go;
The howling…incessant howling,
As it tossed everything…to and fro!

Even the old apple tree,
That I enjoyed…in Summer time;
Its branches scratching on my bedroom window,
With the storm…it was keeping time.

What to do…what to do,
My mind was in a whirl;
Yes, my imagination…working overtime,
Overtime…even for a young girl!

I could run down to Mom and Dad’s room,
For I wasn’t really all alone…you see;
Sometimes, it just seems that way,
When you’re small…when you’re as small as me!

But, this time I’ll do something different,
This time…I’ll be a big girl;
Yes, I’ll turn on my bedroom light,
I’ll just let everything out there…whirl, swirl, and twirl!

I'm so very proud of myself,
So smug…as I lay in my bed;
A big smile upon my face…now,
For now, at last…I had nothing to dread!

But, my Mom and Dad…they came running,
For me…they showed great concern;
But, their baby girl was growing up,
The title “Big Girl”…I had earned!

Yes, it had been A SCARY NIGHT,
And, that was for sure;
But, I did some growing up that night,
Yes…a giant step toward being mature!

********

August 25, 2004

Aimee Love
(LHG)