Once again the poet L.L. Barkat has offered a poetry prompt that is a challenge I can’t pass up.

Okay, so for all of us who never wanted to look at the monsters under the bed, this week’s prompt is a real challenge. Write a poem about (or from the viewpoint of) some kind of monster.

My early imagery of monsters isn’t too vast. The only one that came to mind came not so much from my imagination as from a song called, “The One-eyed, One-horned, Flying, Purple People Eater.” The song, written by Sheb Wooley, reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1958. If you’re interested, there is a plethora of versions on YouTube.

So here’s my poem written on behalf of the infamous monster. I hope it brings some closure for him.

I AM NOT PURPLE, BUT SO MISUNDERSTOOD

So I only have one eye
and a single horn;
I am not purple
I am hurt by scorn.

I acknowledge my appetites
to purple-people run,
I’ve no taste for you daughters,
nor crave your sons.

It’s like I told Sheb back in ‘58
I came to earth with a single plan:
To get me a job
In a Rock n Roll band.


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