Creature From The Black Saloon
His eyes are dead moons
that call up typhoons
where old sailors will die
on the devil's hot spoon,
dished up dressed in red for the Day of The Dead,
mouths whiskey wild and well off their heads.
He sparks a burned light
that cracks holes in the night,
calls witches to bonfires' sulfurous light
for the Dance in the dark, the Blood in the cup,
the black horns of the Beast
who will drink them all up.
His tongue drifts like quicklime
on a seasonless wind
in desires that die before they begin,
over the flesh that twitches and yearns
to dissolve into hexes the old gods that burn
just under the skin all mottled with runes;
I've met him. I've loved him
too long to refuse.
October 2023
posted for Creature Seeker at
Note; This may have been slightly influenced by attempting to watch Rob Zombie's Lords of Salem last night.
Images: Standing Figure, 1970 ©Nathan Oliveira Fair Use
Dark Dancers ©Gina lacob Fair Use
Fantastic writing, Hedge. Your note made me smile. Brave you, to watch! I love best your couplet at the end. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear Sherry. I wasn't brave enough to watch very much! Very slow moving, aimless flick.
Deleteoooh, a witchy rhyme scheme and a wicked good time ~
ReplyDeleteThanks, M. Tis the season.
DeleteOh the gilled paramour, up and back in black from hell's spittoon! Whatever thread you found for this profane wheedle (Rob Zombie poor boy), you sew the entire beast back into its hide and stagger him devilish over the old gods' rictus smile. Now I can't get free of the infernal loco commotion you've started here. Who would drop their mother's milk and start dancing. Ex-cellent offering for Creature Hullabaloo.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the movie had some moods but I was nodding off after half an hour. Thanks, Brendan. No Halloween can be hallowed without a few creatures to haunt it. Thanks for all the work you put into your challenges.
ReplyDeletegruesome. those demons really come out of the bottoms of the saloon's glassware
ReplyDeleteThanks, Eric. Yours was fantastic. This was just a little self-indulgent jump rope song. "Brimstone jump rope songs," as Shay calls them.
DeleteOh, that ending came out of left field and hit me smack over the melon. Prime jump rope rhyme, my dear, and liberally seasoned with your signature dark potions. "desires that die before they begin"... I have become well familiar with those.
ReplyDeleteYes, me too. Thanks for the official jump rope seal of approval. I was never great at the actual jumping part, but the rhyme is hypnotically simple.
ReplyDelete