Slow-Burn, Dark Humor Poetry

Rime of the Mourning Dead

by J.W. Arthur

I received this dreadful call... late last night,

from a voice... of bone-chilling fright,

It whispered in my ear, that it feasted on my fears,

‘n that my soul… would soon fill its appetite.

The sheer an-ti-ci-pation in its tone,

sent me stumbling... discarding my cellphone,

'n as I raced to my car, underneath a sea of stars,

I felt certain… that I was now all alone.

Desp’rately... I slammed shut 'n locked the door,

my rattled heart, shaken... to its very core,

With windows steamin' up, a voice b’hind me said, “heads-up,”

'n so I'm dead today, teats up in a morgue.

© 2024 by J.W. Arthur. All rights reserved.

A touch of dark humor in this extremely quick, slow-burn tribute to one of horror's great ambassadors, author Ramsey Campbell.