On Nightmares and Other Horrors

On Nightmares and Other Horrors

We stalk the clouds, we chosen few,
Along the shrouds of starlight streams
Trawling at dreams with errant schemes
Veering askew, amidst the crowds
That fill the clouds, like viper's dew.

We drink the night and taste the fire
That will ignite the distant dark
Bare, bleak, and stark with each remark
Inciting ire and shame's delight
Within the night and its desire.

Collecting fear and bright dismay
A bandolier of treachery
As far as we in sanity
Might yet array a calm veneer
Of torrid fear or crass decay.


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This is a study in meter and rhyme I started some time ago; months at least though I have lost track.  Originally I was very ambitious with this piece and had planned a shifting rhyme scheme that would produce a much longer work.  Perhaps another day.  I settled on the following in tetrameter though in retrospect, I should have used pentameter or more, just to give me more bloody room.  Four (4) syllables are tough at times and the piece took longer to complete because of it.

The rhyme scheme is as follows:

A B
A C
C C
B A
A B

In tetrameter, as previously indicated, with the added constraint that the first half of each stanza must end in a noun that is used in the last line of the same stanza.  Why did I do this?  Because it was hard.

Since my goal was a study in meter and rhyme I kept the subject matter simple with a twist.  The blending of nightmares and reality is not a new topic and this does not pretend to be a new story, just a interesting take on the subject.  At least that is my goal.

No doubt this piece will require some work to smooth out some areas.  And while I readily admit it, I am not looking forward to it because of the self-imposed complexity.  It may be that this form is unworkable.  God knows I've come to similar conclusions about other styles I have developed.  But, as with those styles, I appreciate any feedback and insight others might be willing to share.