The tall gaunt man

Inspired by the horror writer H.P Lovecraft

                                                                                                   The tall gaunt man 

                                                                                   Inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft 

                                                                                            By

                                                                                                Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

                                                                             Let me tell you the story of the tall gaunt man.  

                                                                             Who wrote of weird fables with entrancing command.

                                                                             With eyes of gloom and frightful despair.

                                                                             Emaciated form made shocking to scare.

                                                                             Woven and stitched from the memories in dream.

                                                                             Born of dark thought; aphotic and fiend.

                                                                             The eldritch horrors that haunted his mind.

                                                                             Esoteric in nature and evil design.

                                                                             In prose he spoke of our bleakest of fear.

                                                                             Gave shape to foul evil that often appear. 

                                                                             From places that madness and terror resides.

                                                                             Wove fictions of dread and where insanity abides.

                                                                             Painted portraits of the strange and eerie in verse.

                                                                             Spoke to our nature, both virtuous and curse.

                                                                             So I will tell you a tale of Lovecraft; with fondest regret,

                                                                             Whose mastery of terror I shall never forget.

Reviews

[William Michael Reeves]

I like H.P. too. I usually try to recite a poem out loud to myself to see if I can find the intended rhythm. This was smooooooth! And I like reading a word I don't know and gotta look it up. Aphotic?

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you William for the kind comment. He was one of the first writers I read growing up and whose artistry I so loved. Quite a few modern writers hate his style of writing but I am so drawn to it. I feel Lovecraft is not read so much as experienced. His over descriptive prose puts you into his stories and makes you feel the dread. Aphotic is an old English word almost never used which means dark or darkness. It's a favorite of mine to use when I can. Thank you kindly again.

[Einstein Noodle]

have not read Lovecraft but will check him out ... fine story telling in couplets and rhyme .. well done .. i most certainly got the picture of the "Tall Gaunt Man" ... ;) a delight to see the right margin setting of your lines ... there is another poetess who does not come around much anymore that made use of such a devise .. i like it! had to look up "aphotic" as well ... what a great word and very appropriate in your context .. last couplet, first line .. do you mean ... fond regret? instead of "...fondness regret" ... oh! maybe a typo and should be ...fondest regret!!! ;) spooky story, well told .. love the solid feel of the couplets and enjoyed the fine rhyming skills you show ... so easy for rhyme to become trite and clichéd ... of course can not help but think of good ol' Edgar! ;)))))))))))))))
E.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you, EN, for this very kind review. If I'm not mistaken this is my very first submission here at the Cafe. Wow it feels like a long time despite it being just a few months back. You are right it was supposed to be 'fondest' but the auto correct on this tablet always gets me. I remember at the time being a bit embarrassed b it not realizing that this website has a wonderful re edit tool. So I will finally be taking care of this after all this time. I love the works of Lovecraft and count him as a great influence in my writing style. Despite his flaws, he was known to have racist views, I draw a distinction between the artist and his art. He was a flawed man but it does not take away from the incredible artistry of his works. Thank you so much for your kind words on this first submission I truly appreciate it my friend.

[Einstein Noodle]

we are all riddled with weaknesses and "faults" ... we would enjoy no artistry nor other accomplishment were we judged for them on the basis of our humanness ... thanks for introducing me to him and my word of the day "aphotic" .. great stuff!!

[J.P. Paradise]

This has shades of that strange man who created strange worlds with even stranger monsters.Interesting chap that Lovecraft; flawed genius springs to mind.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you, J. P, and I very much agree. Lovecraft was flawed. As a person of color it can be a bit difficult reading his work with the insight of the man himself and his intent on some of his themes and characters. But I have come to a place where I can now differentiate between the artist and the art. Lovecraft was a genius who created his own sub genre in horror. That to me is undeniable and also the content of the man's bigoted character is also a truth. As a fledgling writer in my 50s this flawed human being I must admit is one of my writing influences. My overly descriptive style comes a lot from reading much of his work and drawing inspiration from it. But I have come to learn that is how writing works. We take from our heroes and re package it tweaking a bit around the edges in hopes to develope our own unique voice. Despite knowing all along we are just a knock off of the original. I wish I could write like Lovecraft, but I never want to be like him. Because being hateful excludes you from the vast beauty of the entire universe and the endless wealth of story that comes from these magical places and glorious people. Thank you so much, my friend, for leaving your thoughts.

[J.P. Paradise]

Wise words, friend, wise words.

[mattavelli]

Hello, Carlos! :)
Beyond the lovely rhyme, id describe this as informative. Lovecraft's stories are around a hundred years old now, and huge a influence on beastly science fiction. Thanks for sharing.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

And as writers we often create characters similar to how we see ourselves.
Lovecraft would appreciate this poem and smile.
j.