I Adopted a Monster

I named him Emmanuel. God

With us. I did so because

He deserved better than creature

Or monster. Can you imagine

Being abandoned moments

After your birth? To wake surrounded

By chill and terror? I could.

I did. That’s why the emptiness Mary Shelley

Left behind filled me up. And I keep him now

As my own. We have the same brain,

The same sensitive mind

And heart. I treat others the way

I want to be treated, so when I

Found him,

I supported him, stood him up, and I

Threw a robe of righteousness

Around his bare shoulders, towering

Over my own, then I named him, sweetly,

Tenderly, tracing his brand new scars

With the care only

A mother can give. Poor thing.

I took him home, showed him off

To everyone around, like a child

Proud of finding a lost puppy, who then

Crafts him a collar, brightly colored

To signify acceptance into the family.

And his nametag of shiny new metal

Displayed in front, is inscribed Emmanuel

God with us.