MHI: BEDTIME STORIES by Patrick Tumblety

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health

The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.

BEDTIME STORIES
Patrick Tumblety

Her book is humorous
about black cats, broken mirrors
and thirteenth floors.
Magical thinking, I assure her.
Yet, my mind regresses to
bad luck, open closets,
and broken backs.
Ancient anxieties stir.

She doesn’t want to plug in a nite-light,
close up the closet or crack the bedroom door.
“Are you sure?” I double-check.
“That’s the fifth time you asked!”
Children always think they know more.

I lie in bed and think
about black cats, broken mirrors
and thirteenth floors.
While my daughter sleeps without doubt
I can’t sleep until I’ve written this out,
and ensure that the collection of lines
equal an even number count.