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Eldritch Hysterical Annihilation Syndrome

Daniel Henry Rodgers

Welcome to the 5th and final Halloween poem for 2024. Each one had more dramatic dialogues and storylines this season, and I hope you have enjoyed the journey. This one deals with real-life syndrome, and I think you will get it as the story unfolds.

"In the recesses of our subconscious minds, where innocence falters and nightmares take root, we confront the eldritch truths that shape our existence." Daniel Henry Rodgers

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Eldritch Hysterical Annihilation Syndrome

I walk o u t...

I am lost in unapproachable light—a spectral broth
I am tasting the screaming silence—the archetypal observer
dissects my essence-fossil Passion
a seismic rupture between life/death/rebirth
gnaws at my marrow This dilemma-kudzu
coils tight, constricting tomorrow's breath

Death stalks me, a shadow with obsidian fangs
Sin's fruit—a parasitic putrefaction—
erupts in my gut
I am spewing maggot-guilt crawls through my veins
I am the battlefield where body and soul,
once conjoined redwoods,
splinter and disintegrate—
a forest-demise festering in eternal night
I am left to sweetly rot amidst the remnants

B e n e a t h
incomprehensible maws of time
Venus flytraps gnash at my fleeing heels
I am stumbling on fate's toxic exhalation
each second: a funeral elegy
I am that pestilent being—a mosquito
to bioluminescent decay—
writhing in fetid mangrove darkness smells of dread
beyond redemption or shame

This is my behavior: an inferno of shattered commandments
incinerating the Decalogue to ash
this is damnation's feast prepared
O wretched spirit I don this stigmata husk
like strangler fig—(a garment defiled)
each root a sin-tendril swelling

I birth chasms eruptive rifts spreading wide
where each reflection morphs into abomination—
a funhouse glacier warping reality from withinside
In Abadan's wasteland my seared conscience
faces the locust swarm; each bite a sin-seed
each wound a godless form
I grapple with the remnants of my existence

I snarl-howl
for lust's thorn-whip flays my back—
the persecutor-persecuted
forever ensnared in siege
Mère des putains
I cradle abomination-saplings
to my withered breast

Each blasphemy-sap
soothes the children of unrest
anthropomorphic gods—vulture-judges—
perch on destiny's dead tree cackling
as I immolate in antinomianism's pyre
uncontrolled and free

This is a Halloween-eternity stretches
into an endless Arctic twilight
this is where no soul-cleanse can purge
the gluttony of my blight
I gorge on despair-demonspawn
for terror's roots twist deeper—
in soil fertilized by acid-tears
I no longer have the strength to weep
the cost is a price I can't afford
I am bound by my own excesses
this existence churns like a tempest
relentless and consuming

Hysterical Annihilation Soteriology—
a doctrine-spore of the insane—
preaches a false hope:
the cruelest nectar-poison
ever to sear my tongue
In this confessional-abattoir
I stand debarked and flayed—
my immortality denied
my fate
forever scourged

Drip
Drip
Drip
the water torture of regret —
Each splash: an eternity-erosion
each ripple: apocalypse
I reach
for salvation's mirage however I grasp only demonwaste air—
as the Stygian-sinkhole yawns wider
devouring my very last prayer

Terror incarnate I metamorphose
into the apex-nightmare I feared
my sanity's last leaf—a noose
reality clear-cut and seared
the witness-witnessed
the horror-horrified unite—
in Hysterical Annihilation I dissolve—
a tsunami of primordial fear

As I traverse the threshold I carry my candy
and my curse
trembling in frost-bitten hands
the horrors of the night cling to me
like spectral tendrils
mom and dad on the couch
This is their world bathed in flickering blue
their faces—:
This is their ignorance: masks of normalcy—
concealing terrors
they never knew

"How was trick-or-treating?" they inquire
voices echoing from a hollow void
their eyes
vacant mirrors—reflect the screen
where cinematic violence cavorts
I mumble "Fine"
choking on the lie—
thick as cemetery loam while visions
of dreadlands roil within me

The first Purge plays on—a pale shadow
of my mind's eldritch creation
I stand P e T r I f I e D
caught between two realms of DaM naTioN
one foot in childhood's dying light
one in eldritch fears
my costume is a flimsy veil 'tween
innocence and sears

"Come sit with us" Dad pats the couch
oblivious to the tightening-tendrils
that slither in my wake
mom proffers popcorn—
like kernels like maggots to my eyes—
each crunch an echo of universe-devouring cries

I nestle between them seeking warmth;
it can't penetrate the cold glacial horror
now etched in my marrow
their laughter at on-screen chaos rings discordant and alien
while inside my soul undergoes
a terrifying irreversible MeT aMorph OsiS

In the emanation of their mirth I discern
the careworn lines etched on their brows
the weight of unshed fears beneath
the veneer of mundane joys
they'll never fathom
the landscapes of desolation I've traversed—
(because they remain blissfully unaware) —
the eldritch truths that leave me cursed

I am of twelve-years 
a baby girl 
No LonGeR! 

I am ancient in my horror forever remaining
I am indelibly marked by this night
Of existential anguish
As I cast a glance at Mom
Her eyes flicker with concern
A fleeting shadow
And dad's comforting hand feels leaden
However I recognize that this is their world a fragile facade
Each smile a shield against the encroaching AP Par I Tion

As I ascend the final steps to bed
Where night terrors lie and wait
Their love, a delicate tether, pulls me back from the precipice
Yet darkness looms ever closer
An inescapable wraith
Shrouding my soul in its frigid oblivion
I catch glimpse of their world, so normal so distant
A flicker of light devoured by the Wyrm's abyss
In unapproachable silence
I am the shattered witness
I am vivisected, forever ensnared
In the nightmares I've yet to conjure
But must inevitably confront

[The poem ends here but the page continues...]

...or does it? 

Bid farewell to the inked parchment,
But you'll never unlearn what you've B e CoM e

halloweenhorrorphilosophypsychologicaldramatic monologue

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Maria Williams

Date: 11/9/2024 8:10:00 PM

This is a very dark drama at the very best Dear Daniel, steeped in Poe and the dark horror movies which I hope we will never be subjected to. Thank you for sharing this monumental work which has obviously taken time. Hope you didn't get nightmares writing it LOL. Hugs Maria

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/11/2024 5:07:00 AM

Dear Maria, As always your thoughtful comments truly touch me. I appreciate your understanding of the darkness in my poem and your encouragement means so much. Writing it was a journey, and your support makes it worthwhile. I have turned back to the real world for it is scarey enough. LOL! Hugs! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Jennifer Proxenos

Date: 11/7/2024 8:53:00 AM

This poem somehow made be think of the series Lucifer. The devil face he would show when hellish demonic feelings were felt by him was a fearful sight. His good side though, comes forth in Chloe, Love how Chloe and him turn hell into a rehab center for entering heaven. Your poem is excellent and is the scariest write I have ever read, is trick-a treating fading as parents hear the terrors of Halloween, so well penned my friend, I think and fear, I will only have nightmares tonight!!! Blessings Jennifer.

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/11/2024 5:05:00 AM

Dear Jennifer, Your words and insights deeply touch me. I'm honored that my words evoked such strong emotions. Thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging feedback, dear friend. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Michael Tor

Date: 11/4/2024 6:37:00 PM

Daniel were you possessed when you wrote this? lol Unbelievable how you wrote this. Totally in the underworld of Demonic realm. This is a Masterpiece of the dark world and its entities of Halloween. It is one of the best Dramatic Monologues I have ever read. This showed have made Poetry Soups POTD and should have gone down as 100 best poems of all time.

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/5/2024 7:18:00 AM

Hello Michael, Over the past two months I have been more in story land with my writing. This time of year, I like to go more like Poe, King, and Lovecraft to make my writing darker. I always know that my Lord is Good and watches over us daily. I always think about the 2nd half of the book of Daniel and Revelation and how they went dark in their writings. Thank you for all your kind words and for stopping by to read. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Michael Tor
Date: 11/4/2024 6:42:00 PM

What did it for me was how you shared the two worlds of normalcy and Horror. The parents not having a clue of their surrounding treacherous world and her realization of that while hiding the evil side and succumbing to that side in her private realm and room. Just a marvelous piece of work by you. I am totally impressed and this is definitely a favorite. Thank you for your effort in creating and sharing. May the Good Lord protect you from any evil spirits you might have conjured while writing this, lol.

Sara Kendrick

Date: 11/4/2024 1:12:00 PM

Creative lines penned. Maybe next year's Halloween will bring another saga of fright. Thanks for sharing. Sara K

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/5/2024 7:14:00 AM

Hello Sara, Thank you so much and I always appreciate your visits and comments. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Victor Buhagiar

Date: 11/4/2024 1:32:00 AM

That is clever and powerful writing. Each reflection morphs into an abomination— so true. We delve into the abyss and must atone. Your poem is imaginative. So impressive. Lest we forget....

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/4/2024 7:20:00 AM

Dear Victor, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Thank you for reading about some of my darker adventures. We are in a fallen world, and life can sometimes be very terrifying. I am so grateful for your visits and your thoughts. That is why we need the Lord! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Ink Empress

Date: 11/3/2024 11:02:00 AM

This is such a powerful poem dear daniel, almost felt like i was reading a poem of shadow work done in such eloquence in a very introspective manner, grasping every shade of emotion which ebbs and flows within , and youv done that so well, i believe as an empath you do it effortless and to convey emotional depth through poems is an easy skill for you, i really felt the lines “ I am stumbling on fate's toxic exhalation each second: a funeral elegy” that is soul hitting! “ the way youv described darkness is beyond impressive! I need to FAVE this, and read it over and over again, as everytime i read i just cant help but be in awe of your careful selection of words and how youv woven them, and also the metaphors imagery and depth! Is beyond impressive! What an ineffable write! You never fail to amaze me!Sending you light always~

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/4/2024 7:18:00 AM

Dear Empress, I am so glad you enjoyed this poem, which digs deep into the psyche of a tweener at Halloween. When I came up with the idea, I was thinking about all the various horror movies this time of year and what that may do to a young girl's thoughts about life and the terrors that she might face in the future. I always feel blessed to have you read, fav, and comment on my works, and I am so appreciative. Autumn Blessings, MY Dear Friend, Daniel

Andrea Dietrich

Date: 11/2/2024 10:16:00 AM

My gosh. This is just a child trick or treating? Did he meet the devil or something? I really liked the contrast of the horror with the normalcy represented by the parents. Fearful and demented feelings in this one. Your last of the Halloween season I see!

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/4/2024 7:13:00 AM

Dear Andrea, Thank you and I was telling my grown daughters that I wanted to make it a poem that seems very adult and with intellectual fear in the beginning and then.... transitions to a young girl tweener who has all kinds of things and thoughts going on. Yes, the parents do seem normal, and you probably caught the fact they are watching The Purge, which adds to the storyline of how a young girl got to this stage of thinking. As always, thank you, and I appreciate your support. Autumn Blessings, MY Dear Friend, Daniel

Mystic Rose Rose

Date: 11/1/2024 6:10:00 PM

I got chills Daniel, wherever to do get this stuff, (never mind ) you win first prize for crossing over all boundaries, lol, seriously its very good

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/4/2024 7:10:00 AM

Dear Rose, LOL! Thank you. I think many of my ideas come from many books I read and also from movies or TV shows I watched. It certainly inspires creativity and helps build out a complete story. Thank you again! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Kim Rodrigues

Date: 11/1/2024 8:05:00 AM

Daniel, since I am able to hang on to such a long read, says much. Your poem, incredible as Dante’s inferno, etched surely in time. Imagery fantastic, haunting for sure. Images of a child and parent, wow! A fave! I will have to reread. Hugs and blessings, Kim

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/4/2024 7:08:00 AM

Dear Kim, your words fill my heart and I am thankful. I have been putting more into the storyline this season and have tried developing each line and stanza to enhance the storyboard. Thank You!! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Tom Cunningham

Date: 11/1/2024 4:23:00 AM

Quite a spooky read Daniel, best read in daylight. Brilliantly composed and long too, my kind of poem. Enjoy your weekend. Tom

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/1/2024 5:03:00 AM

Dear Tom, You and I are probably one of the few who love telling lengthy and captivating stories. Thank you for all your wonderful comments, and have a great weekend. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Lin Lane

Date: 11/1/2024 4:03:00 AM

This is the eeriest of all five, Daniel. Most bizarre, as if you wrote it from the grave. If you were trying to mirror eldritch horror, you have certainly succeeded. Now please excuse me as I tiptoe out of this abysmal place. Check your soup mail, please.

Daniel Henry Rodgers
Date: 11/1/2024 5:02:00 AM

Dear Lin, Thank you. I wanted it to be a harrowing turn of events that haunts the soul without the gore. It took quite a few rewrites to get this the way I wanted. I always appreciate your support, and yes, it was to be eldritch horror. Thanks to H.P. Lovecraft for the inspiration. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel