By Richard LeDue
How would you feel if your name
was public domain? If every time
someone bought a costume of you
you never got paid? Or when a movie
was made about your exploits
(I only drink blood to survive,
so let's avoid labels
like “evil” and “undead”),
they didn't even ask your opinion
on who to cast? Well, I've given up,
thought about walking out
into the sunlight, only to be reduced
to dust, but who would notice?
I've lived long enough to become just
another face, lost on the sidewalk
at midnight and so abundantly trivial
that most think I stole Bela Lugosi's accent,
although I was always more
of a Christopher Lee fan.
Richard LeDue (he/him) lives in Norway House, Manitoba, Canada. He has been published both online and in print. He is the author of seven books of poetry. His latest book, Everyday Failure, was released by Alien Buddha Press in October 2022.