peter pan's lost boys

It’s a warm October night, and I’m writing again. 

I sit in a call with the guy I call my best friend, 

and I am writing about the both of us being creatures.

He jokes that he hates me, but it feels a little too real.

So I ask, “Why?” 

I can see the moment he bears his teeth, 

but in all fairness he shields me from them tonight.

He finally moves past the brick and mortar wall of 

indifference, and speaks, “Whenever you tell a joke,

I just feel… angry. Angry that you can just do that.” 

If I feel shocked, I hide it very well. 

“That’s called jealousy,” I say,

“Wait, you’re jealous of me because

I’m funny?” 

His tail wraps around his legs now, his

batting eyes too sincere to not be lost. 

I let him talk about whatever he wants. 

I make fewer jokes. 

I wish I could say more, but all I

have is apologize. 

It’s a cold November evening, and I’m 

with my friends again.

They ignore me, mostly, unless I speak up. 

I learned a year ago that ‘effort’ had the 

same amount of letters as ‘friend.’

Everything slots into place when you realize that. 

My ‘best friend’ knocks me over the couch, 

and I hit him in the face with a pillow. 

I feel the growl sit in my chest, 

vast and unmoving, until I sit back down again.

I draw the two of us later in my chemistry notebook,

and I can’t help but remember a poem I like. 

‘Draw a monster. Why is it a monster?’

I can't list the reasons why we have darker eyes,

and sharper teeth.

Why we stay on the fifth page of the monster manual,

entitled:Peter Pan's Lost Boys.

It’s a mild December night, on my birthday (which I hate),

and the monsters are calling again. 

I hear my mom echoing through my head, 

can’t help but tell him, can’t help but repeat,

good dog, good dog, good dog.

He asks me what I wanted for my birthday,

asks if I got it. 

“I wanted to be something.” 

“What, like… human?”

I smile, slick canines no longer in my possession,

for I got a collar for my birthday this year.

“Oh, I want to be more than human.

I want to eat the world raw.”