Loving Men as a Maneater - By Melissa Lee Ee Jiet

Written By: Melissa Lee Ee Jiet

Category: Poetry

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Melissa Lee Ee Jiet presents "Loving Men as a Maneater," a captivating poem entered in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This piece delves into the complex interplay of love, power, and identity, weaving a narrative that challenges societal norms and expectations. As part of this prestigious competition, Melissa's work stands as a testament to the evocative and transformative power of poetry in exploring deeply personal and universal themes.

About the Work

"Loving Men as a Maneater" is a profound exploration of love intertwined with power dynamics and societal expectations. Melissa Lee Ee Jiet employs vivid imagery and evocative language to question the roles assigned to women, creating a narrative that is both personal and universal. The poem's tone is both introspective and challenging, inviting readers to reflect on the constraints of traditional relationships and the desire for a love free from pretense and power struggles.

Loving Men as a Maneater

Original Submission by Melissa Lee Ee Jiet

Loving Men as a Maneater

I know how the story ends.

A man enters the woods, and the women are blamed. I know his middle name is power,

and his surname is passed down like debt.

I know the girls who didn’t come back,

and how softness gets eaten.

Yet, my mouth chose to part.

My hands search for warmth beneath the ruin, my heart began yearning, begging, bleeding

for something it shouldn’t want.

I want to be chosen without earning it,

I want love that doesn’t ask for proof,

I dream of a mouth that says mine and means safe, of hands that hold like a promise, not a trap.

The guilt is layered;

wanting him, wanting better,

wanting to believe I’m not betraying every woman who taught me to run, who taught me to flinch, who handed me a map labelled exit and said, follow this when it starts to feel familiar.

They called us sirens,

said we drowned the boys,

but no one asks why we lived in water,

no one names the hunger, our hunger, as protection.

I became a maneater,

not because I wanted flesh,

but because I knew what happened to them.

To the girls who waited to be kissed gently,

the girls who fell for honeytraps,

luring them out from the swamps, the lakes, the sea, our waters-

with vows stitched from land-bound lies,

designed to tether us to Earth, to tear our names from salt.

They came with sharpened knives, then hollowed out our scales, offered rings in place of gills,

reduced us to wives, child-bearers, weavers of silence, and worse, to girls they never feared again.

Our women were lured from the lakes,

their wives drowned beneath the sea.

I don’t want to fix him, I don’t want to break him either. I don’t want to be the girl who softens her rage into reason, nor the one who sharpens her love into punishment. I don’t want to pull him under the lily pads

while my sisters hum his last tune,

watching him gargle, struggle, beg and plea,

like many of our sisters did under men’s hands.

I just want to love without calculating the cost,

but how do you lie beside power and not shrink?

How do you name his cruelty without being called cruel for noticing? How do you speak of harm without being handed the blame for it? How do you say I want you without whispering but not like this? How do you stay,

without making excuses for the fire that scorched your sisters?

Maybe ethical love is a myth,

maybe I am the myth,

maybe we all are-

the nymphs, the man, the drowned girls,

echoing between want and warning.

Maybe the best I can do is to touch him with open eyes, and to love him, love men like a storm:

prepared for loss,

still hoping for rain,

but never surprised by lightning and thunder.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, hosted by Hashtag Kalakar, celebrates the diverse voices of writers worldwide. This event brings together poets and writers to showcase their talent and creativity, encouraging the exploration of various themes and styles. It serves as a platform for emerging and established voices to share their work with a global audience, fostering a rich exchange of ideas and literary expression.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Melissa Lee Ee Jiet for her poignant contribution, "Loving Men as a Maneater," to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Her poetic exploration of love and power dynamics offers profound insights and leaves a lasting impression. We look forward to seeing more of Melissa's impactful work in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.