Well, it’s been quite a month, hasn’t it? But while most of us are stuck at home, this has not stopped postproduction on our British horror movie. We have lots to share with you. But first, I thought you might like this, a little poem that I have often found very comforting to get you through lockdown. The original is in Scots, so I have taken the liberty of translating it into modern English. Enjoy!
Today, I’d like to share with you a horror poem I wrote for the zombie poetry anthology VICIOUS VERSES AND REANIMATED RHYMES. The anthology also contained poems by acclaimed horror and fantasy author Steve Rasnic Tem, among others. In the words of the book cover blurb: “Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes will not only melt your brain… it’ll tear out your jugular!”
THEM
by Eric Ian Steele
Who is that
Shambling through the gravestones,
A tattered tuxedo hanging round his ankles?
What do they want,
Those shoppers in the empty mall,
Scrambling endlessly for the abandoned escalator?
Where are they going,
Those silhouettes who stumble
Through deserted streets at night?
How do they live,
Those ravaged faces that inhabit
The rat-infested city dump?
When will I hear
Their voices all around me
As I scream up at a dark and moonless sky?
There you go. Hope you enjoyed that. And remember… don’t have nightmares. Fear only makes you taste better!
ERIC IAN STEELE 