The life he led
one day (he said)
was boring dull and scant,
but using scary images
he found a stimulant
.
Such awes (he said)
imbue the brain
with such a special dread,
the Balrog or the Jabberwock,
the Yeti and the dead
.
Avoid the dark
(he said) dismayed
hearts icy depths perturb
there’re strange and twisted creatures there
it’s best not to disturb
.
My heart could fail
(he’d weep and wail)
there’s so much discontent,
but Grendel and Medusa still
he found were scintillant
.
The Giant Squid
of Jules Verne
for certain fuels a fright,
the Minotaur and Wendigo
stand strong in fearsome might
.
The Nephilim
an evil race
worst monsters in the lot
are known for eating anything
such wickedness they brought
.
Leviathan
and Fenris too
new horrors they conceal
that keep us wond’ring if at all
they’re fake or if they’re real
.
Those in my head
that day (he said)
seem diff’rent than the rest
but never did that stop his pen
or lessen all his zest
.
And so, he wrote
with hearts delight
of monster’s blood and gore
and all the crazy fears they’d bring
that kept some wanting more…
.
© Richard Lloyd Cederberg
5/2019
.
.
BALROG. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
JABBERWOCK. Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll
YETI. Folklore
GRENDEL. Beowulf
MEDUSA. Greek Mythology
GIANT SQUID. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne
MINOTAUR. Greek Mythology
WENDIGO. Algonquian Mythology
NEPHILIM. Holy Bible. Genesis. Numbers. Ezekiel.
LEVIATHAN. Holy Bible. Job
FENRIS. Norse Mythology


                         BETWEEN THE CRACKS