The Hunger That Hunts

Running through a city in the dead of night

to help a woman dressed only in white,

in a way that’s only possible in dreams—

the laws of physics don’t apply, it seems.

~

Running along rain-soaked streets at midnight,

to reach that terrified woman in sight,

through alleys and leaping over rooftops,

my thundering heart races; she never stops.

~

She runs from something deadly, it seems,

through this endless twilight abyss of dreams.

From what though, I still cannot tell—

whatever it is wants to drag her to hell.

~

She continues at such a breakneck speed;

frantically I follow, gaining on her lead.

What I chase, though, I can’t see clearly;

we can’t stop now, we’re both growing weary.

~

Nearing her at last, the end in sight,

to reach that woman, dressed only in white.

Slowing as I catch her, she starts to scream—

more animal than human in this twisted dream.

~

The monster she fled was no stranger beast;

after her was me, for a fleshy feast.

To save her I was not, I’m shocked to say;

I tried to stop, realising she was my prey.

~

I bent, touched her pulse as the world tilted;

rescue and conquest—the same line shifted.

I caught her, felt my teeth part, and woke,

knowing a hunger I could not revoke.

*

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Author's Notes: This is a significantly altered version of Running as the Beast, a poem I entered into the Full Moon Challenge a few years ago during my first year on Vocal. That prompt was to write a poem about a dream you had. It was based on a real dream I had during my teens. I found it quite frightening that, rather than the cliched, chased-by-a-monster kind of dream, the twist was that I was the hunter.

It was a nice experience trying to improve upon that with the knowledge and skills I have now, and I thought it was a good match to the new Poetry of the Hunt Challenge, as part of the Vocal+ Fall Poetry Series.

Here are some other things: