NecRomance is being written in 12 parts, each eight stanzas in length. Following are Parts 1 and 2.
Necromancers two they were
Enshrouded by a Pallid Pall
Entombed in Cryptic Ossuary
Incanting Rituals Nocturnal
the first was famed for Murders three
a Babe, a Bride, a Palsied Crone
their Blood he Fed Tenebrous Trees
and Strung Viscera for the Crows
Abracadaver he was known
his True Name lost in Time’s Egress
Malefic now his Mind had grown
Maimed Malignant in his Flesh
the second’s Deeds were done by Dark
Unseen by Prying Eyes she Preyed
a thousand Lovers she Seduced
a thousand Husks her Passions Flayed
“Hocus Corpus!” left their Lips
as Life she Sucked from Smitten Souls
Enraptured by her Flawless Form
Ensorcelled by her Ghostly Gaze
in Sepulchre they met one Eve
while Harvesting the Grisly Dead
he had no Life on which to Feed
she had no Carcass to Corrupt
Eldritch Appetites they shared
Ghoulish Needs and Ghastly Might
partners in Grotesquery
had found their Soul-Mate on this Night
their tale is Rife with Gore and Grime
Compelled am I to full Confess
if you Endure till end of Rhyme
your Soul shall Suffer in your Breast
he Rasped of days before his Death
she Shrieked of Memories long Past
Eternal Longing long Subdued
Erupted into Yearnings Vast
Shriveled his Benighted Heart
Ossified ‘neath Ashen Bones
Convulsing, Writhing, Wrenching forth
to be Exhumed and Beat once more
Diaphanous, her Blue-Rimed Breasts
within her Wintry Raiment Heaved
now Molten Cravings Surged Ablaze
and Feverish Spasms in her Seethed
Possession was their Gnawing Need
to Consummate their Cravings Cursed
Entwined in Funerary Shrouds
Unearthing Long-Forgotten Thirsts
no Lich had e’er yet Overthrown
the Reliquary most Profane
that Bound their Spirit in Undeath
Never to Breathe in Life Again
no Wraith had Unwound Doomèd Fate
or Chanced upon the Vaporous Door
that let them Shed their Spectral Form
and Coalesce Corporeal once More
but Witchlight Glowed within their Eyes
and Ancient Sorcerous Pacts they Swore
they’d Search the World both Wide and Far
for Magicks Lost to Eldritch Lore
the Pair would Craft a Grisly Spell
to Feel again Warm Blood’s Caress
a Rite of Carnal Ecstasy:
The Hymeneal of Hungering Flesh
part the third will appear soon…
David, this was deliciously gothic. I loved how completely you committed to the tone, from the archaic cadence to the wonderfully grotesque imagery. The reveal that these two horrors have found their perfect match was equal parts unsettling and charming. "Partners in Grotesquery" may be my favorite phrase—it perfectly captures the spirit of the poem. Looking forward to Part Two! 🖤
This is giving Tim Burton vibes and I love it!