I love horror. It’s kind of addicting in a way. There are so many flavors of it. Bruce and Roxanne are silly fun, Skellyman is an attempt at gritty, serious horror. My scattered short stories run the gamut from silly to serious. But I have a deep fondness for poetry above all else, and I have two collections of dark fantasy and horror poetry, By Candlelight and Overheard in Hell.

Exploring these subjects with the economy of words demanded by poetry is a real challenge and one that I love to give myself. One of my inspirations and mentors was the late Charlee Jacobs. If you haven’t read her poetry, it is award-winning and amazing. Her encouragement has made horror one of my favorite genres.

Writing poetry is a cathartic experience. From the rigorous structure of a haiku:

Bones rattle at night
Under the full witches’ moon
As the dead rise up.

To full unstructured free verse like this:

Roll the Bones

Sit you down
Across the fire
Take a chance –
roll the bones.

Shamanistic seeds
Of power
Mystic runes –
roll the bones.

Fortune found in
Etched impression
Fueled by fever –
roll the bones.

Wisps of magic
Twists of fate
Now or later –
roll the bones.

Cast from hands
That tremble badly
Heart a-pumping –
roll the bones.

Death or birth
Fame or loss
All revealed by
one last toss –

Roll the bones.

What is your favorite style of poetry? Do you prefer rhyming or free verse? Share a bit in the comments! I’d love to see your poetry too.

And, in honor of my birthday Saturday (because I am a halfling at heart) Overheard in Hell is free on Kindle until Sunday, July 12, 2020. Have some poetry for summer!