Black Demon Shark
Richard Stevenson
Melanized great white shark
or sixty-foot megalodon spied
just off the coast of the Baja,
California, peninsula? Who knows?
He’s got a huge threshing tail though
and concentric rows of nasty teeth.
Not the sort of denizen you wanna meet
in a metal cage or submersible, son.
He’d likely chomp through the metal bars
like they were strands of al dente spaghetti.
Never mind the melanin or dentition then –
Not unless you’ve got a sick death wish.
The Black Demon ain’t the sort of fish
you wanna stick around for dinner with.
His table manners are appalling. He eats
With his mouth open and bolts his food.
And if that isn’t disgusting enough,
he doesn’t bother saying grace or ask
Politely to leave the table when he’s done,
your intestines hanging like bunting from his mouth.