Raymond Burr isn't even Japanese. He has no placein this narrative. You expected a monster movie,the straight line progression of vandalism and death.But this plot's triangular, a love story predicatedon deceit and betrayal, its edges sharpened by panic.You don't speak the language, but you still understandwhat is happening. Even without subtitles, it's so clear.The professor is a scientist. He doesn't want themto kill Godzilla. The professor's daughter has fallenin love with the wrong man. Her fiancé strugglesto accept this knowledge and builds a weapon.Meanwhile, Godzilla grows angry. He thrashesthrough the waves, lashes his tail against buildings,pulls down bridges and radio towers, throws his headback and howls, inconsolable. It's a beastly life --all our happiness built on someone else's pain,innocent kaiju held responsible for every terror, everytragedy. Godzilla will die. But root for him anyway.He's our hero. He's the king of big ideas: the monstrosityof war, the horror of love, the stark futility of fear. ____Gillian Devereux received her MFA in poetry from Old Dominion University and is currently a PhD candidate in the Media, Art, and Text program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She teaches Media Culture and English at Bay State College in Boston, Massachusetts. Her poems have appeared in FOURSQUARE, Gargoyle, 32 Poems, Wicked Alice, and other Journals.