“Appetite”

by Sadee Bee

“I am an appetite. Nothing more.”

                                  – Count Orlock, Nosferatu

 

I am a feast–sublimely–decadent torture.

 

The kind–once tongue touched–sends prickles down a throat.

An addictive–amuse-bouche. Never enough to satiate–only

enough–to

                                                   linger

                                                                                      linger

                                                                                                                          linger

 

Many have brought–their appetite–to my feet.

Dined–and supped–until I begged–for reprieve. With

them–followed such darkness–an assailing miasma.

 

                                                     take

                                                                                      take

                                                                                                                         take

 

of me–until I can be–consumed no longer.

I am not–a feast–I am pestilence.

Bringing death–dispersing ruin–to men that dare–imbibe.

CONTRIBUTOR’S STATEMENT:

Nosferatu has and always will be an allegory. Whether we are talking about the 1922 silent film or the 2024 retelling. There is something about Gothic Horror that takes challenging narratives, puts them in a beautiful setting, gorgeous costumes, and dreary moods that really grips the watcher. Of course, some may not have the patience but I do. It is an allegory for the simple fact of nature that a man’s wants and desires will always take precedence over the safety, needs, wants, and wellbeing of women. Count Orlock is a vampire, yes but he is also a placeholder for the idea of lust, of all consuming lust to the detriment of others. Ellen Hutter is powerful and she is vulnerable. She is misunderstood and a victim of the whims of the men in her life. She is someone I will always identify with in the end.