Close Enough

We raise a respectful toast to our monster
The one we've been building for years now
In our mutual basement
Under that blanket, tubs shake, machines whir
Children spin legends and back away slowly
We tell them not to be afraid, though we're quaking
Ourselves
I hear your sobbing as I stand in the doorway
And I can't help but wonder if that began just as I entered the room
(Coincidentally)
Or if perhaps you've been crying all this time
And I just got close enough to hear