The Devil's name

The Devil's name

Coyotes howl at moonless night,
singing out Devil's name.
Baying forth their pagan rite,
an echoing that has no shame.
They call out to the straining light
for shadows that will have no blame.

The rusty smell of long spent blood
permeates the wide dark plane.
Dark and acrid bile make flood,
malicious sulfur breaths remain,
near cloven footprints in the mud
where a lonely sacrifice was slain.

The Devil walks this moonless eve,
rampant rabid vicious tones
stripping flesh from the aggrieved.
He'll pull the sinew from the bones,
tasting blood from those achieved,
leaving only grief and moans.

Coyotes sing for Him tonight,
maybe I will do the same,
maybe I'll no longer fight.
Instead I'll choose to howl His name
and join the chorus of the night.

Reviews

[Chris]

The last line of the second verse...?

Good rhythm... flow, and wording. Chilling tones.

[T.S. Ulmus]

That's what I get for using voice recognition to record my poetry. Thanks for pointing that out, I fixed it. Also, thank you for the read and for appreciating the poem for what it was intended to be.

[Chris]

I've had Dragon Voice Recognition for a long time myself... BUT always check an entry after you post.

[Pete]

ouch. giving in to the devil and going along for the ride. it certainly can be tiring. takes faith and effort to fight against darkness. clever description of old beelzebub. i like how you integrated the coyotes into your disturbing description. remind me to never go out walking with you at night when there's a full moon (or not) ... :)

[barleygirl]

Okay, now I'm fully intimidated after reading you & Dave Brown, inciting each other toward evermore gory Halloween tales & launching a spooky-fest like I've never seen at the cafe for the past 6 Octobers. I'm hankering to throw down some ghoulish licks, but you two have jammed the airwaves with your tinkle-doom folly. I love the way your rhyme & rhythm (so well-crafted) suggests the old-timey traditional dive into creepy storytelling as dug up from ancient tombs. I'm going to have to light a big fat firecracker under my a*s if I'm to compete with the seasonal slathering that's dripping down my screen this gray & grimy morn (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Dave Brown]

A very entertaining and spooky contribution to the season of ghoul and gore

[Delmar Cooper]

A lovely yet ruthlessly loveless, statement of pessimistic reality. I suppose optimistic reality smacks of "Pollyanna."

[Robert Trakofler]

nicely Halloweeny TS! I love a good horror poem this time of year:)