Her Nightmare

Savage, his fangs,
Moist, his lips.
Sallow, his frame,
Bony, his hips.

Black, his suit,
The black of night.
A swallowing gloom,
No end in sight.

He lurched with a creak,
The floorboards protest.
He held out a claw,
Asked, will you confess?

For Your sins I can see,
Your every dark thought,
Trapped inside that frail head,
Just the snack that I sought.

And his serpentine tongue,
On his lips did it play.
For he tasted the fear,
As she screamed 'Go away!'

But mere words would not banish, 
This spectre, this shroud.
He fed on her fright,
He cackled aloud.

Dear, dear, I think its time,
That I took my sweet treat.
Now be a good lass,
And just take a seat.

It will not take much time,
You’ll be free before long.
No more fear, no more pain,
No more joy, no more songs.

Not a tear will fall down,
Those pale bloodless cheeks.
You will be reborn,
Now come what’s that? Eek!

For a small light-grey mouse,
Had sprung from its home,
A hole in the wall,
To wander and roam.

And with a shriek like a blade,
Dragged across a sharp rock,
He fled the dark house,
Before a tick of the clock,

Struck midnight and rang,
Drowned out a small cry.
The shaking, quaking girl,
Who thought she would die.

But now that she had,
A means to defend,
She calmed herself down, 
And picked up her friend .

As she patted the lump,
His fur warm and nice.
She knew that her nightmare,
Was frightened of mice.

Reviews

[Justine]

A dark, sinister tale told in perfect rhyme. I love how the story unfolds and I was kept wondering what might happen next. Wondering about the last line fifth stanza, as it seems out of place and interrupts the flow a bit? Perhaps something like "she screamed go away"? I dunno. Superb ending, not what I anticipated. I must read more of you. Justine

[Matt Sayer]

Fantastic feedback Justine, thank you! You are spot on with that line; the extra syllable in 'shouted' throws the flow. I can't believe I missed that! :P

[Justine]

Nice to see someone else is "human" :) Hope you'll do likewise for me, but most of my writing is free verse..Have a good one.

[Lyn Anderson]

Love the twist in the end. Very effective imagery and wording.

[Matt Sayer]

Thanks! :)

[icelandicblue]

A very compelling story within your poem. Well written and your rhyme added to the horror of it all. The twist at the end was unexpected and allowed the reader a smile and release some of the tension you've built up throughout the piece. I enjoyed this very much.

[Matt Sayer]

Thank you very much! It's wonderful to bring a smile to anyone's lips! :)

[icelandicblue]

I just read it again and I love the whole scenario.

[Matt Sayer]

:D Thank you so much icelandic!