Monster

If I were to invent a monster,
Fantastic embodiment of terror,
A creature hideous to behold,
I think I’d forgo the fangs.
There’d be no claws or howls
Or capes or hollow-eyed hunger.
This beast would not lurk darkly
Or seek nocturnal dominion.

My monster stands unblinking,
A beautiful face cast in sadness,
Following and just watching.
It’s victims turn but always find
The melancholy gaze.
In the mirror, on the street,
At the cafe, or in the theater,
There it waits focused on just you.
This is no hallucination,
Everyone can see it watching,
never responding, and staring at you.

-T. Weeks
(A response to “Trickle Drops”)