'Mercy, Cried the Monster'

The princess cries out,
Each tear sparkling gold,
She begs, "Mercy! Have mercy!"
For her sad and aching heart.
She says that there are werewolves
Waiting to eat her
Outside her tower
Made of wolf bones
And stolen art.
Outside,
Howls pierce the night
And a restless anger
Shakes the ground.
There is no mercy
For panging hunger
That stings the guts
Of these werewolves harsher
Than any of the princess'
Silver bullets combined.
Werewolves don't turn
Into angry beasts by
A full moon's light.
No, werewolves turn
When their children die,
Swept away by tides
Of a future destroyed
By the princess' golden shoes,
And their lives drowned
By her sparkling wine
That they pay for
Yet cannot afford.
When the tides keep coming,
The werewolves will rise,
And soon they'll tear
The princess away from her
Sheltered, pampered life.
And when they finally eat her,
She will howl in vain
And she'll gnash her ugly,
Sharp teeth.
The werewolves will regain
Their dignity and memory
And they will finally see⸺
She was the true monster
All along,
Sitting on a throne
Made of all of her subjects'
Stolen bones.

"Wolf Maiden by Full Moon" painting by Pantovola
Pantovola, via Cosmos
