Venture forth into the depths
Into the darkness deep below
Underneath the rigid mountain
A journey not for the common fellow.
The stone mouth agape with jagged teeth
Waiting to gnaw on wanderers so
lonesome
As an echoing roar makes you tremble
When you enter the cold and dark
sanctum.
A drip and a drop sounds hollow
As the beast salivates on your shoulder
Sending shivers up and down your spine
Making you wonder why you bothered.
Thoughts of turning back cross your
mind
As you step further into the mine
Your stomach twisting and turning
Torch in hand made of crackling pine.
Embers float off into the distance
Casting shadows against the walls
They dance around like fiery devils
Laughing with their hysterical calls.
Your head begins to spin whispers
Like the silky webs in your hair
As creepy crawlers climb around
Swarming you within their lair.
“Can you brave the darkened depths
Can you avoid turning into stone
Are you the brave adventurer of old
Turn back now before you become bone.”
Shrug off the nightmares brave
adventurer
There is more work for you to do
As you descend into this pitted
darkness
Your legs tilted and turned like a
screw.
You brace yourself against the slimy
wall
Sliding into a dank and wet hole
Wondering how much further to go
Until the reaper asks for the ultimate
toll.
Arm over shoulder you cruise forward
The water biting at you like hungry
piranhas
Oxygen slowly leaving your cold body
As you turn and squirm through
tightening crevices
Just as you hold onto your last breath
A dim light shimmers above you
As you dive your way back to the
surface
Finding land to be a shining jewel.
But before you lies a dead end path
As you climb out of the foaming bath
And within a few paces you find
It was all for naught and enters the
wrath
Venture forth into the depths
Into the darkness deep below
Underneath the rigid mountain
A journey not for the common fellow.
Yikes. Quite a harrowing passage. The narrative details are familiar as the rhyme and meter, so the reader knows the way well enough; though the destination is surprising. Contemporary horror seems to me content with sinking its boats at the end of every night sea journey; I wonder where the catharsis is (maybe it disappeared with the deity). The first and last stanza button this well as a ballad.
ReplyDeleteLike most people in life we all have our fears. This ballad was a way of revealing that it is okay to be fearful, but to overcome the fear and keep pressing forward is where true bravery takes place. I've never been too fond of writing horror. I'm just not that good at it. But with poetry it came to me a bit easier. What do you mean by "maybe it disappeared with the deity?"
DeleteWell, I have a conventional mind so I read this with thoughts of "Lord of the Rings" wonderful word choices to set the mood.
ReplyDeleteThanks George for the insight. I was keeping the ideal of a high fantasy scene in the back of my mind as I wrote this one. Also ballads lend themselves to that kind of writing to begin with I think. Thanks for stopping by and reading.
DeleteYour poem is "epic." Good job.
ReplyDeleteThanks a bunch Helen. I'm happy that you think so.
DeleteShort story and sustained metaphor, both.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosemary.
DeleteWe descend to the very depths to conquer our fear... an apt description.
ReplyDeleteThanks, we do don't we.
DeletePerfect for the season, too.
ReplyDeleteYeah it is coming so quickly. Wish Halloween lasted for the entire month rather than one night.
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