When you’re feeling strangely monstrous,
like you’re only suited for shadows
or a hermitage
where no one need know
any of your darkened deeds,
when you can feel your sins
just blistering skin
scraping off horrible parts of you
dragging down cobblestones
while you wait to be captured by villagers
once their suspicions prove strong enough for action…
when the feelings whelm and whelm again,
go take a walk.

Enjoy the day.
Look at the beautiful puffy clouds
and absorb some delicious vitamin D.
Stride the streets with pride
smiling at strangers
– who cares if your grin is crooked and cracked
with teeth the size of gravestones?
Let the sunshine in
to every single possible pore.
Go naked
for the best absorption.
Let everyone see the entirety
of your monstrosity.

And if you’re as bad as you say,
if the world’s as set against you
as you believe
and they take you away
as you were always destined to go,
at least you had a final afternoon in the sun.
Every hideous beast deserves
at least that, eh?