C.R.A.S.H.

by Kathryn Reilly

When you’re a single cryptid
tired of hand or claw pleasure
one night stands
seem like a worthy endeavor

Enough crazy humans would
give us a whirl, but no one actually
wants to break their lover:
human fragility sucks because so
many of you flaunt around the planet

So, I open the CRASH app
(Cryptid Random and Sexy Hookups)
and begin swiping because, well,
monsters need lovin’ too

Dobhar-chu/don’t like doggy style
Left
Ningen/too weird
Left
Yeti/distant cousin
Left
Chupacabra/those hickeys would last a century
Left
Loveland Frog/ugh slimy amphibious skin
Left
Skunk Ape/yuck — stink bugs of the creature world
Left
Jersey Devil/she might be into my kind of kink
Right

Bigfoot settled in
and practiced
his sexiest smirk

By day, Kathryn helps students investigate the power of words and master grammar’s awesomeness. In the evenings, she reads retold myths, fairy tale mash-ups, and fae adventures when she isn’t breathing life into new ones herself. Her most recent work appears in Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas and Last Leaves literary journal. You can find her on Instagram @katecanwrite to see
what’s coming next. Her two rescue mutts, Savvie and Roxy Razzamatazz, hear all the stories first.