I woke up early one morning
wiping sleep from my eyes
I saw a roach on the wall
and a man standing in the hall
from as far as I could see
he wasn't my father nor was he
the dad of any sister or brother I had
when I approached
the man was yelling at the roach
but, the roach wasn't listening
the man had a big red bowl in one hand
and, a box of cookie crisp was in the other
he turned and rolled his shifty eyes at me
then he went back in the room with my mother
after getting a drink of water
from the tap
I went back and woke my brother
to tell him, "I saw the cookie monster"
he shook his head back and forth
saying, "It ain't no such thing"
but, when he woke up for breakfast
he believed