Writing Prompt

The night splits open, raw and red,

a wound that drips where angels bled.

From marrowed dark the figures crawl,

their bodies broken, faceless, tall.

Their jaws unhinge with dripping cries,

a nest of worms for teeth and eyes.

Their tongues are ropes, their breath is rot,

they gnaw the air, they drink what’s not.

The earth itself recoils in pain,

as footprints seep like oil stains.

They drag the s...

Djupt in i skogen

Hörs viskande från varje håll

På de onaturliga skuggorna

Ska du ha koll...

I’ve come to understand the saying:

Too good at goodbyes.

I see them everywhere.

If only it _were_ a mystery.

I know who they are.

Their smiles and their tease

Some people I came to want, to please.

They left. But they follow me.

I see him in the ghosts.

And him in hastily scribbled notes.

I see him while I walk through dreams

And him stacked upon the shelves.

I see him with my family...

In the periphery

Of my sight

I notice

Something

That once was

But no longer is

Now that I

Have turned my head

My body

Frozen

Eyes fixed

Like a dam burst

From my gut

A jolt of electricity

Cascades

Over my groin

Crashing

Around my feet

My breath quickens

And…

Shortens…

While…

I…

Wait…

And…

Watch

“Hello?”

Why did I say that?

Attention

Drawn to me

I search

To hide

Yet stillness

Might

Be the best

Pl...

Always watching, always lurking

I feel like my mind is overworking

Can't get rid of them

The_ shadows_ are following

They are hallowing

Am I losing my mind?

Am I really mine?...

I get twisted up in crazy things all the time.

Crazy weather, crazy people, crazy visions

Today was hot like I was trapped in a sandy desert

I face the blistering sun and refuse to look behind me

I now know what could happen if I glance back

We used to play a game as young children

It was called Statue.

All the children would move only when the security guard wasnt looking

When the security guar...

With my sneakers against the pavement—my fingers thrumming beneath the fabric of my coat with trepidation..

You stalk me like prey, moving deftly behind me, I hope to catch a glimpse of you over my shoulder..

Nothing..

I can’t hear your breath over the harsh whipping of the wind, my hair tossing with each rugged breeze

My rosary hung around my neck, my trust bestowed onto a pregnant virgin, ‘p...

The streetlights don’t help much down this alley

But I’ve already strayed too far into the dark.

It wouldn’t make much sense to go back now.

I only hear the sounds of the echoes of my steps bouncing off the cement and walls.

But I still fear something behind me.

A shadow casted from the entrance took shape below mine.

The sounds of our steps combined.

These naturally long strides come in handy.

If...

I saw a shadow flow by like a whisper in the cold breeze, hitting along the trees, making its dusty gray mark. I light a match to bring forward the light only to see shadows dancing from side to side, tree to tree, asking to be set free from the torment, I stand, frozen, unable to make the shadows disappear but they’re engraved in my mind. I close my eyes hoping they’ve left me behind but to no a...

I can see them

I know that they are there

Keeping me tense with their close distance

Following me without fanfare

I don’t know who they are

Nor why they stalk behind me

But these silent footsteps are silently driving me mad

And they’re much too close to flee

I’ve walked this route for years

And have never seen them go past

Theirs is not a face that I’ve come to face as a part of my routine ...