love & fear are two sides of the same coin

I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.
-- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Kenneth Branagh

Villanelle to a God

They say that fear is the strongest emotion;
I tremble at You in awe of your wrath.
For You, my dear, my greatest devotion.

Last night, I watched as You brewed me a potion;
It trickled from my eyes down a well worn path.
They say that fear is the strongest emotion.

Pressed to my skin, You rub Your holy lotion,
Anointing me with a baptismal bath.
For You, my dear, my greatest devotion.

You raise your palm, I watch the motion
Cleaving through me, I lay on the warpath.
They say that fear is the strongest emotion.

I loved You, I loved You, You grandiose notion,
but it's been a long time since I went for mass.
No more, my dear; I tire of devotion.

I see it in your eyes, drops flow into oceans.
With a candlelight glint, I cut a swathe
Through you: my dear, my greatest devotion.

Now I wander lonely, remnants of a wraith.
Palms upturned, sending prayers to a lost faith.
They say that fear is the strongest emotion;
For you, my dear, my greatest devotion.

spooky scary vampire

spooky scary vampire, don't take a bite from me!
Halloween night is such a fright, but there are so many treats to see.

instead of chomping on my neck, try crunching on this apple -
caramel sweet, oh-so neat, plus you won't have to grapple.

if you want something moist and sweet, there's something you can try:
cinnamon and spice - pumpkin pie, so good you could die twice.

that was a joke! oh please, don't do it; i'll show you something nice.
i beg of you, don't snarl at me! this one's sure to entice.

candy corn, near-cloying sweetness, eat it by the handful.
a Halloween classic - you must not pass it - please, stuff your mouth full.

oh, my dear vampire friend, you seem to be quite pleased.
spooky scary vampire, since you're so occupied, i think that i'll just leave...

Reanimate

Put glass eyes in his sockets
Scrape the mulch from his eyelids
Run a current through his heart
Kill a boar for its jawbone
Sew its fur onto his scalp
Patch his gashes with its skin
Stuff his belly with intestines
Fish the dredges of his consciousness from the liquid of his blood —

r e a n i m a t e .