My father was more talented than I,
Ingenious, in demand. When I transformed –
In Universal’s make-up chair – into
The Wolf Man, my body-clock stopped and this
Unnatural specimen reigned, something
That fascinated and horrified. This
Role, played five times, revealed the beautiful
Sober beast inside – fixed, unleashed. My black
Dog, depression, was disowned when I’d howl.
. . .
Source: “Wolf Cento” by Simone Muench [from “Wolf Centos” – Sarabande Books, 2014]
Lines used: “I transformed into this thing, this beautiful / black howl . . .”
Note: Creighton Tull Chaney [February 10, 1906 – July 12, 1973] was given his stage name Lon Chaney, Jr. by Universal Pictures, who hoped this would confuse movie-goers into thinking his famous father Lon Chaney was starring instead in “The Wolf Man” (1941).
About the Author
Native New Yorker and Elgin Award winner, LindaAnn LoSchiavo is a member of the British Fantasy Society, HWA, SFPA, and The Dramatists Guild — and a spooky Scorpio who loves Hallowe’en. 
Current books: Messengers of the Macabre: Hallowe’en Poems, Vampire Ventures, Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems [Wild Ink, 2024], Apprenticed to the Night [UniVerse Press, 2024], and Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide [Ukiyoto Publishing, 2024].
