For all my life, my aunt would stay
For a week or two each year.
She loved to come; we loved it, too;
But she had one tiny fear:
She thought the Boogerman would come
And steal us while we slept;
But we were safe when she was there –
Constant vigilance, she kept.
We stood and waited while she looked,
As she would poke her head
Into every dresser, every drawer,
In closets and under the bed.
“It’s safe now, you can go to sleep;
No booger will get you tonight!”
We never had the heart to say
That we never thought it might.
It mattered now how old we were,
If we forgot to let her look,
She’d flip our light on, wake us up
To check out every nook.
We just gave up; when we got tired,
We searched her out instead.
“Aunt Kate, will you go check my room
So I can go to bed?”
She’s been gone now several years
And how I miss the sight
Of her bent over to check my bed
So I’d sleep safe at night.
Copyright © 1998 by moleta ruth mccarter. All rights reserved.
