The river by my house
Always reeks of decay
A sickening stench, always accompanied
By the droning sound of flies.
I stare over the bridge, trying to see
Through the murky mess of water
But I know what lies underneath
A vile monster, that eats things thrown over.
An older man walks past,
And tosses a cigarette over the edge.
It floats and floats with the current
Until the surface breaks with the monster’s head
It has skin like gravel, crusted with grime
Its barbed tail whips through the water
Slime trailing in its wake
And teeth, jagged like the glass of broken bottles.
It looks at me, its eyes demonic
Slitted like a snakes
It swallows the cigarette, gurgling
My skin crawls, and it slithers away
I wonder if the man knows he just fed the monster.
I wonder what else it has eaten today.
I wonder if the monster would eat me
If I fell in.
I peer over the bridge at my reflection
Broken by the ripples of the water.
Madeline Cameron is a sophomore studying criminology as well as rehab and human services. She is from outside of Boston, Massachusetts and has always loved reading, writing, and English for as long as she can remember. She considers herself an avid reader and a lover of books, and she recently discovered a love for poetry while taking a creative writing class.