A monster waits for me
He sits.
He, the only gender a monster could be
He entertains the tantalizing prospect of his
tongue and teeth dancing over me
not just in my head
not just under my bed
not just there when the lights are off
But when I step outside my bedroom door
I can hear his roar
in my father's snore

This monster advertises what he'll do to me
on billboards, magazines, and movie screens
the scenes he paints
his paws on me and my kind
on us on we
begrudgingly our faces, our bodies on our hands and knees
below him, below it, that monster that thing
How the hell did we let him control everything
he makes us change our shape and size before
taking us to our demise
the siren mermaid framed to be an evil creature
merely just refusing to be prey