Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author R.A. Clarke @RAClarkeWrites @Darc_Nina #LoH #fiction

The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

One Peck
by R.A. Clarke

I’m not good enough

to sit on your branch,

to eat at your feast,

perch on your wire.

No, you wouldn’t care

if I fell to my doom,

drowned in a lake,

or scorched in a fire.

I’ve chased; I’ve changed,

hoping you’d love me,

then draw me in close

as one of your own.

But you never notice,

don’t show any care,

just look back and sneer

whilst I linger alone.

You think you’re the best.

I thought it once, too.

Your beauty’s alluring.

You thrive in your thrall.

All worship the queen!

Her harem bows down.

But a once-shattered heart

makes this lover stand tall.

What’s soft can grow hard.

What’s warm turns to ice.

Regard rots and festers.

Love tarnished by hate.

As my conscience fizzles

and all empathy dies,

glare over your shoulder

and secure your dark fate.

I head for the front

of your fluttering flock

Your incredulous stare

gives me twitches of glee.

With one razor’s peck

one wire becomes two.

As your perch slips away

your wide eyes lock on me.

I laugh while you reach,

withhold what you need—

watch you and your drove,

as you drop to your death.

Thrills ripple through me.

A revenge well deserved.

Your screams give me chills,

sang loud from your chest.

Those false wings can’t save you.

Your bodies’ land hard,

with a sickly wet crunch.

Now it’s my time to rise!

Triumphant, I soar

before claiming my place

on my new kingly perch.

The lord of the skies.

More from author R.A. Clarke:

A daughter’s last chance at redemption on an alien planet. A sweeping secret that could not only end her dreams, but her life as well.

Finn Rucker boards the starship to seek a fresh start as part of a colonizing effort on Joya. The race, sponsored by Governus, yields free land and startup funds for the lucky winners. The number of entrants guarantees someone is going to lose and Finn is determined that she and her bionic horse, Herc, are among the winners.

Racing through uncharted jungle to the settlement of Novus, Finn and her fellow racers soon discover that not everything is as it seems – and Governus withheld information from the contestants. Strange beasts attack the racers, mechanical equipment begins to fail, and the very air seems out to get them.

When all seems lost, a mysterious people arrive and help the racers, revealing the depth of Governus’ deception. Finn will have to keep her pulse pistols close and her new friends closer – but not too close – as they all race to survive the jungle.

You will love this mashup of Hidalgo and James Cameron’s Avatar as Finn navigates the guilt of her past, the promise of a future, and the imminent dangers of her present.

Available on Amazon!

2 Responses to Ladies of Horror Flash Project – #Horror #author R.A. Clarke @RAClarkeWrites @Darc_Nina #LoH #fiction

afstewart says:

April 28, 2024 at 4:29 pm

An excellent and wicked poem.

alexgrehyauthor says:

April 28, 2024 at 5:05 pm

This has such great pace and rhythm – love how it came together.