21. Where She Lay
There are a myriad
of ways to eat at a girl.
Centipedes swim inside
empty eye sockets.
Beetles and grave flies
feast upon delicate
hands and small feet.
Harsh words from over
a decade ago haunted her
to a mud grave.
In absentia,
the mystery
bore the town’s
greatest ghost.
A wad of bloody hair falls
from a ceiling post.
A hex
left behind,
a conversation piece
amongst
her lively clutter.
Torn fabric
from a potato sack dress
dolled up the drollery
of her flesh form.
Scratching fabrics
were the deserved punishment.
Witch hazel covers the hole
where she lay.
Today, a gelatinous worm
from a rotten apple coils
around a rusted knife
beneath a dingy pillow.
A caretaker
never falling too far
from the hanging tree.
Son
of murderous intentions
skins himself
into silence,
mutes the confession
by swallowed nightshade.
In a nearby glade,
the children
weep at the discovery
while night bugs sniff
at the skull.
The forest
is full of gawking creatures,
guarding sentinels, invisible,
unjudging.
Wind is merciful,
whipping
the foul carrion
away.
A hundred years
in the future
a curse remains.
A girl stumbles
while running,
twisting her leg
into a freakish shape.
She screams too late,
her voice captured
by the gloved hand of
an ingrate. A dweller
with hunger
in his bloodline.
An owl hoots a warning.
A menacing glint
sings a swan song
in the summer
moon’s shine.
Photo by Irish_Eyes
Thistle Thoughts 
Eerie, dark and disturbing! Excellent writing Jennifer!
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Thank you! I have a horror vibe going on today.
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My pleasure Jennifer! I too often tend to write in that genre. Probably, it is telling of our terrible times.
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I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for horror so I don’t know. I hope it’s not because I’ve felt every time to be horrible. ☺️
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Hmmm! You probably have a natural interest and flair for horror.
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Yeah I think my mom and Grandma’s interest in it was passed onto me haha When I was a child we all used to tell ghost stories to each other too.
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I see. Nice.
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Beautifully gruesome (and that’s from squeamish lil me, who read so closely I now have a pain behind my right eye that feels ‘crawly’)
Ever read “Being Dead” by Jim Crace? This really reminded me of his writing 🙂 x
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Oooh no, I haven’t. I’ll have to check it out. Thank you!
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Absolutely marvelous!
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Thank you
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Ahh now it was my turn, to read this whole thing with the most enamored grin. 💀
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Haha, awesome 😁
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Best opening line ever!
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Thanks, Conny!
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I love it! This is creepy.
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Thank you for reading 🙂
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You’re welcome!
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