Visitors
173,195Categories
Shepherd: Discover the Best Books!
-
Recent Posts
- Buying Cigarettes from a Bodega on Bundy Street by Anthony Imm September 22, 2023
- Ode to Small Towns by Esther Yeh-Rynn Chae September 22, 2023
- Indentured Workers by Sigrid Kim September 22, 2023
- Dreams of Light Switches by William Kitcher September 21, 2023
- The Curse of the Ebon Maw Chapter Two by A. S. Raithe September 21, 2023
Terms Menu
Category Archives: Horror
Sun and Shadow by Simon MacCulloch
I asked my shadow why he feared the sun And felt the need to skulk so low behind me Come out, I cried, the day has just begun I want no creeping hug-the-ground to bind me! “Well, walk the other … Continue reading
Werewolf by Simon MacCulloch
The change is short, though painful – what is worse Is that which follows – hours of degradation My mind and body twisted by the curse And harnessed to a foul imagination Whose cruel deeds, too dreadful to rehearse Confirm … Continue reading
A Sightless Grave Ghost
by Hannah Nathanson I face my nightmares from years ago and whisper to their unknown, walk through their skin and leave this coffin empty— either I’ll find life in their darkness Or darkness in their life. I’m seeing my ending … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Poetry, Poets
Leave a comment
The Crawling Shadow by Harris Coverley
The Crawling Shadow Harris Coverley Like a black wind Low and slow The negative to all positives Going along the ground Darkening all it touches Leaving an eternal stain of malice A desert … Continue reading
In the Best Blood by Meg Smith
In the Best Blood Meg Smith Rivers ruddy to sleep, and this is pure in its running. Something once was life, but now recedes from light, only, air and light.
Stalker by Ed Blundell
Stalker Ed Blundell The sky is dark as midnight dreams, The blank, bleak emptiness till dawn, The moon, thin silver scimitar, Slices the clouds that skim the night. That night is listening, still with fear, Frozen and tense with silent … Continue reading
Sailing by Ed Blundell
Sailing Ed Blundell The sky clear blue, the sun shone bright, Their holiday was at its height, She, smiling said to him,” Let’s take A sailing boat out on the lake.” He liked the thought and straight away, They hired … Continue reading
the sky is falling by Matthew Daley
the sky is falling Matthew Daley it was the birds first fallen some walking till they forgot direction trees lost how to feed and breathe then their whispered exhales the sun begged forgiveness before giving up after giving out flowers … Continue reading
Nightscape by Ed Blundell
Nightscape Ed Blundell I’d walked there many, many times But never in the dark of night, Black clouds dodging the ghost white moon, Bright and glaring in deep, stark skies, Strange light changing the place I knew Into eerie, alien … Continue reading
Crossing the Moor by Ed Blundell
Crossing the Moor Ed Blundell A narrow, one track Roman road, Stretches across the sky wide moor, Invasive grass intrudes the sides, A route from somewhere to nowhere. Late last summer, purple heather Spiced and scented the evening air. Now, … Continue reading
The Report by Lori R. Lopez
The Report Lori R. Lopez Humans were the last to be subdued, loaded into cavernous vessels. They were the most savage and unruly, despite advances, the level of their current development, proving themselves less civilized as a Race than predetermined. … Continue reading
The Haggards by Lori R. Lopez
The Haggards Lori R. Lopez In this place frolick elementals, conjuring for the sake of eldritch spirits departed. Copses of trees had knit tangled patches, eventually creeping close enough to be designated a Wood. Though not your average bird-singing sun-dappled … Continue reading
The Bluster by Lori R. Lopez
The Bluster Lori R. Lopez Wind shrieks, fit to be tied Not that she ever could. A futile effort Quixotic folly to attempt Like tilting at Windmills and expecting … Continue reading
The Black Fog by Lori R. Lopez
The Black Fog Lori R. Lopez A fog thick and umbral settled A wave of night in afternoon, clammy Opaque as a New Moon, hooding my face Vision clouded, I fumbled through haze Baffled by a dreary dismal expanse, lost … Continue reading
Skin-Deep by Lori R. Lopez
Skin-Deep Lori R. Lopez Curt was terrified of Ticks. Not the kind you heard at night, paranoid a bomb was near and it was just your clock. The ones with a head and mouth that drank blood. The buggy type … Continue reading
Where the Light Cannot Go by Crystal L. Kirkham
Where the Light Cannot Go Crystal L. Kirkham Deep, deep down they go. Where no man had dared before. Black like ink, deadly pressure in the deep. What could survive down there? They shouldn’t have gone, for now they know. … Continue reading
Let Sleeping Fear Lie by Ed Blundell
Let Sleeping Fear Lie Ed Blundell Sunset snarls like a scornful sneer Across the bleeding horizon. The day dies badly, night descends, Like a blunt axe hacking the land. Black things of darkness slither out, Slimy sliding into sad dreams. … Continue reading
Surprise by Ed Blundell
Surprise Ed Blundell A whirl of wind whips up dead leaves, A bright, white moon hangs in the sky, Indifferent stars shine silver. She walks alone across the park, Along the dark and twisting path, Gazing about her nervously. There … Continue reading
The Gray Man by K. A. Williams
The Gray Man K. A. Williams He comes to warn us Gray Man on Pawleys Island The hurricane’s here
Poison Pie by Lori R. Lopez
Poison Pie Lori R. Lopez An exotic raven-maned accomplice with a black satin floor-length gown glides forth in strides of diabolic grace. I follow, my face a broken frown . . . Ill-at-ease, … Continue reading
Real-Estate by Lori R. Lopez
Real-Estate Lori R. Lopez The Handyman arrived in a snorting hiccupping Pick-Up. He consulted a small notepad page containing scribbles. The job posting listed this address. It must be the place. A For Sale Sign leaned at an angle … Continue reading
Grim House by Lori R. Lopez
Grim House Lori R. Lopez Sordid and austere, ill-wrought beyond compare, A creaking morbid mass feared and loathed by name — Grayer than the sky, a mood of withering glare, Uprooted from her soil, on barge and wheels came. Of … Continue reading
It Fell From the Sky by Ann Christine Tabaka
It Fell From the Sky Ann Christine Tabaka It fell from the sky in a blue-green cast, singing songs of the mundane. Swept under the rug of indifference, it continued to play its requiem. It grew stronger with each coarse … Continue reading
Before the Dark Reposes by John C. Mannone
Before the Dark Reposes John C. Mannone After The Coming of Light by Mark Strand Even this early, just before the dawn, before the light can burn away hatred, when sleep hangs in sticky … Continue reading
Something by Ed Blundell
Something Ed Blundell There is a silence in the night, A quiet deeper than a sound, A hush that screams a warning note That something evil is around. The wild wind drops, the clouds slip by, Tall frozen trees stand … Continue reading
Shrik by Ed Blundell
Shrik Ed Blundell A shriek of nature rends my soul, The sky a blood red, empty well, I fall through time, I spin in space, My face contorts, my body bends, Out of shape I twist and struggle, Trying to … Continue reading
Hunted by Ed Blundell
Hunted Ed Blundell The night falls slowly, dusky shroud, Dark shadows creep across the land, A stillness hangs upon the air, A silence sinister and chill, The creatures of the night appear. She waits, alone, beneath the stars, The silver … Continue reading
The Soultree by Ellie Rose McKee
The Soultree Ellie Rose McKee Her gnarled branches were a ribcage, straining toward the moonlit sky. Winter had been harsh upon the land, stripping her flesh, but the Soultree was a guardian, long established in her role. Come cold, come … Continue reading
Fear, Fear not by Russell Hemmell
Fear, Fear not Russell Hemmell Horror stories are not to be feared because they only tell what can be made up not what’s lurking behind the scenes. Be afraid of the legend maker, instead of the dark that lives inside … Continue reading
1348 by Russell Hemmell
1348 Russell Hemmell He arrived on Sunday, after a winter of sleep and snow. A jester with clear blue eyes, pale lithe hands and white flowers in them. He smiled and said, I come in peace. I ply my trade … Continue reading
The Gugwe by Richard Stevenson
The Gugwe Richard Stevenson Next time you get the notion of filling a water bottle and prepping a tent, backpack, and sleeping bag for a camp-out in the deep, dark woods, think again! Unless you’ve got a forty-four magnum pistol … Continue reading
Clahuchu and Bride by Richard Stevenson
Clahuchu and Bride Richard Stevenson Last of the Juju tribe of Devil Men, Clahuchu and bride lay side by side in the coffin dug up from their Haitian grave. Mummies most mum about their circumstances, they nevertheless manage to exude … Continue reading
Eclipse by Vince Gotera
Eclipse Vince Gotera dread Bakunawa dragon breaches from ocean swallows bright full moon This haiku is based on Philippine mythology. The bakunawa is a sea dragon that hankered to eat the seven moons that were in our ancient sky. … Continue reading
Cthulhu by Vince Gotera
Cthulhu Vince Gotera tender tentacles touch us from eldritch space cold Messiah’s green love
Frankenstein by Vince Gotera
Frankenstein (1931) Vince Gotera Boris Karloff’s hands tremble like soft wings lovebirds in air sweet music
Aubade by Vince Gotera
Aubade Vince Gotera —a terza rima haiku sonnet Steve grinned, waking up to see Stephanie’s cute face, freckled, soft pink lips parted slightly, lace lingerie showing pale throat. Spring morning sun’s … Continue reading
If But They Could by Frank Coffman
If But They Could (a Cynaraelle Sonnet*—invented form) Frank Coffman The full moon glides above the horror forest glade. Stark, gnarled, and dark, the trees’ bare branches creak. The hunter, listening, knows a werewolf has been made— And, somewhere in … Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy, Horror, Poetry
Tagged alexandrine, coffman, cynaraelle, dowson, frank, sonnet, werewolf
Leave a comment
Black Demon Shark by Richard Stevenson
Black Demon Shark Richard Stevenson Melanized great white shark or sixty-foot megalodon spied just off the coast of the Baja, California, peninsula? Who knows? He’s got a huge threshing tail though and concentric rows of nasty teeth. Not the sort … Continue reading
Skinwalker Ranch by Richard Stevenson
Skinwalker Ranch Richard Stevenson Skinwalker Ranch ain’t on no maps – at least the parts yer interested in: the hellmouth portals, astral wormholes. After you’ve been there though, you’ll know: the solution to the sasquatch/dogman quandary ain’t all material. Hey, … Continue reading
A Siren for the Modern Times by Armand J. Azamar
A Siren for the Modern Times Armand J. Azamar Hearing her song again Appears near hopeless. After the shipwreck, Her voice, I still struggle to defend. My hospital bed A depression I discovered for myself. The longing only spreads; wider … Continue reading
Bubonic by John C. Mannone
Bubonic: It was much too wet John C. Mannone When glaciers melt, the Arctic sea will rise, push south, edging the warm currents. Cirrus-clouded air will follow the new jet stream. Rain will fall in torrential heat unto land that … Continue reading
The Photograph by John C. Mannone
The Photograph John C. Mannone The fireplace embers a warmth into the room, coals glow dull red, cold air lifts its bitter edge. I see you on our favorite sofa, the one with paisley cones, feathered cushions. You in silk, … Continue reading
Night Train by John C. Mannone
Night Train John c. Mannone Clouds paled yellow—a lutescence of insect wings— before the swarm of wind shook the sky. The weather radio crackled, hissed its tornado warning while sunlight waned behind the thickening darkness. Only a moment ago, the … Continue reading
The Unexplained by Denny E. Marshall
The Unexplained Denny E. Marshall Whispers of lore and legends Crept upon the sill Shadows pretend to sleep Synchronize to keep still Movement like a phantom Race unseen across the hill Swirling clouds of unknown Pools of mysteries fill Sentinels … Continue reading
recognition error by Herb Kauderer
recognition error Herb Kauderer cave explorers wade strange dark puddles not seeing monster drool
zombie existence by Herb Kauderer
zombie existence Herb Kauderer embedded in flesh hologram verifies self pays all bills monthly presents illusion of life long after the heart has stopped
bug in the system by Herb Kauderer
bug in the system Herb Kauderer driverless car moves partiers to unscheduled & barren destination with no chance of return or recovery
Posted in Horror, Poetry, Science Fiction
Tagged bug, car, driverless, Herb, Kauderer, system
Leave a comment
Advent by Lyn McConchie
AdventLyn McConchie Spring comes,daffodills bloom sweet,deep within the graveyard –quietly, other things begin to stir.
Posted in Horror, Poetry
Leave a comment
Pharaoh’s Eye by John C. Mannone
Pharaoh’s Eye John C. Mannone Sacrilege. Intrusion into Egyptian chambers, looting the relics: rubies, emeralds, gold scepters, the king’s sarcophagus. No one’s watching but the scarabs that scurry down the stone maze of passageways now choking with sand falling as … Continue reading
You Always Said You Could Swim Like a Fish by John C. Mannone
You Always Said You Could Swim Like a FishJohn C. Mannone You, in that black cocktail dress,red heels stiletto-ing floor. Legs,sinuous in the ballroom. We embrace, my hands on the arch of your back. Outside, salt water sings. Beckons.Caribbean air … Continue reading
In Wicked Hollows, On Darkling Plains by David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Kendall Evans
In Wicked Hollows, On Darkling PlainsDavid C. Kopaska-MerkelKendall Evans In the distance: black birds fly swiftlyskimming whitecaps in warm duskhurrying to roost. I sip Kona on my wooden dock,the wife inside, a good book at hand.My hand no longer … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Poetry
Leave a comment