Ted Bundy

Wrapped in insanity,

And a god given disguise,

What seemed unquestionably genuine

Was nothing more than lies.

It was absurdly easy

To hold his head high,

Horrible deception, demonic pride

Within a most affable guise.

A prowling predator,

A beastly artist of revulsion,

The vampire’s blood-lust,

De Sade’s need for perversion,

The master of coercion,

The owner of vast skill,

Not just to degrade,

but to revel in the kill.

The politician par excellence

Quite casual and debonair

Right up to dead man walking,

And the reprieve we uneasily share.

 

Reviews

[Blue Bard]

Dangerous topic. You take an uncomfortable gaze into the tension we feel between attraction and revulsion. On one side we are horrified by such, but on the other we watch everything we can about such as this. An interesting question would be do we dread the appearance of such monsters or look forward to them.

[Emily B]

Chilling, hatred and insanity can be hidded so easily. Do we trust those we meet? Or do we fear? Can we ever know. . .

[Ebby]

And even now, when you look at his photograph....argh, I don't know, but you have captured the feeling well here.
E

[dead]

A subject people often avoid to go into that deep but which always fascinates me: the mind of the serial killer because their mind can tell us a lot about mental life in general and how the interior relates to the exterior. The most frightening reality of a lot of serial killers is that they often have a high intelligence. Your poem described rather well that darkness of the serial killer's mind, especially people like Bundy, Lucas and Toole (or even Kuklinski) because they have that perversity that diabolical need to torture and kill, they generally lack emotions and all such awareness. De Sade � yes � how would he react to serial killers? Sadistic as De Sade's imagination was he was probably not at all like the characters in his work � but with someone like Bundy � how can a mind become that twisted that it no longer recognizes anything? It is like a psychic mutation! And the image of the politician � accurate I must say, that cold calculation of empty rhetoric, that constant drive of need for blood operating behind the scenes � and it also comes to show how easily people can become tricked; how they never saw anything coming; and true people often are na�ve and can't read language be it verbal or non-verbal � but serial killers really do seem to have the ability to disguise themselves as such. Good work, thanks!

[Angelheaded Hipster]

Bundy....I have a collection of books on true crime, serial killers, mass murderers, etc....I find human nature fascinating, and it strikes me odd that some people just snap and lose it. Or others, plan, and stalk their kill. How and why would someone do this?
The man was insanely smart, that's not a lie, and it's not a gothic romanticism I have with these people.
You did a good job with this, without getting overly graphic...great job with this!

[TL Boehm]

there is an 'honesty' to this one as you pen about our revulsion/attraction. Like slowing down to gawk at a wreck - the abyss of humanity is a draw.
Well written - sobering and unique work here.

[Helen Woodward]

This is chilling and very well put together Mimi. Not a pleasant read...the worst of it is that there is no solution. It just keeps happening, for memory he was a serial killer. I don't remember cleary what he did because I don't like focusing on thee people sometimesignorance is bliss, but I know the prisons are full of them...There's no way to stop them because, as you so rightly point out, they arewolves in sheeps clothing...chilling, vile creatures...

[Lydia Shutter]

The fascination our society has with serial murderers is incomprehensible to me. We all share a bit of the guilt for making this evil madman a celebrity of sorts. The fact that you can write a poem...a rhyming one no less...about such a serious topic proves what poetic talent you have. Very good. Lydia

[Robert Luna]

Mmmm. I love the look you took on a subject that is like the underbelly of a cruel world that so many choose to believe that doesn't exist its only in the movies things like that happen. Serial Killers so a unusual topic for a poetry. But I have to admit I loved it and think you did a fantastic job with this.


Great Job!!!!