The Ladies of Horror

Kiamat: The Poem at the End of the World
by Marge Simon

Composing his last poem, the poet walks the beach at the end of the world.  His lover lags behind, hugging a leather bag. The churning waves are black, heavy with death. Every so often, he pauses for his lover to catch up. She follows, picking up shells which she places in the bag. She is bent nearly double with the burden, but still she persists,

Just after sunset, the poet and his lover come upon a cage. There are two strange creatures within. They appear content to move about, soundless as shadows. Hunkering down, the poet inscribes his words in the sand beneath the cage.  His lover covers them with the contents of her bag.

“Your poem, these shells, are the business of the sea; they are no longer yours or mine.” This is all there is to be said. He takes her hand and they turn to face the horizon. High above, an albatross circles. A terrible storm is brewing.

Fiction © Copyright Marge Simon
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

About Author Marge Simon:

Marge Simon lives in Ocala, Florida and is married to Bruce Boston. She edits a column for the HWA Newsletter, “Blood & Spades: Poets of the Dark Side,” and serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees.  She won the Strange Horizons Readers Choice Award, 2010, the SFPA’s Dwarf Stars Award, 2012, and the Elgin Award for best poetry collection, 2015. She has won the Bram Stoker Award ® for Poetry, the Rhysling Award and the Grand Master Award from the SF Poetry Association, 2015.  Marge also has work in the anthology Scary Out There, a story and poems in YOU, HUMAN and fiction in Chiral Mad 4, 2017, Dark Regions Press.

Visit Marge at: www.margesimon.com