Short brown hair, freckles, green eyes. Soft as a pin cushion, the idol sat on the bedside table. Em chuckled as she created a shrine around the doll.
Oh, powers that be,
take these strands
of chestnut hair
& moon-shaped
fingernail clippings.
MiX tHeM iN
this torn t-shirt,
bestow on the effigy
your necromantic prowess.
Em sat on the bed with her sewing kit, its red velvet lining opened like a mouth hungering for redemption. Needles engorged in the pillow-soft tongue were formed into the shape of a heart; perfect for her evil intentions.
a heart of needles
pierces straight to the soul;
bull’s-eye
Em carefully placed the doll in her left hand and pulled the first needle out of the kit. Thoughts of their times together brought tears to her eyes as she raised her trembling hand over the doll’s head. Here’s to the memories, she cried. Then she began chanting.
Memories,
dimories,
schlemories
galore!
Curse this old lover
down to the floor!
Here’s to the lies.
Here’s to the deception.
Here’s to the betrayal.
The final rejection.
Harder and harder she poked as her anger rose; reality puffed away with each jab.
What Em didn’t see was the dark figure standing behind her with a knife, watching the torturous ceremony. Just as Em stabbed the last needle in the voodoo doll, the knife plunged into Em’s jugular vein. Sympathetic pain rippled throughout the lovers’ bodies as they fell to the ground.
*
Prompt inspiration~~ dVerse: MeetingTheBar -Postmodern Prose w/ Anna Montgomery
Oh that last stanza left me in a shiver… a real thriller!
Now, that’s a well done Alfred Hitchcock ending.
Oh what a moment. Very nice portrait of times gone wrong. A bitter frustration.
I’m not sure if this is voodoo, but it’s pretty scarey, and very feminist coven in that evil brings evil . . . in covens I have known we would definitely be wary of such a spell! And here in your poem is the proof! Here too is the scale of weapons: real knife to needle/pins/ to spell casting.
You’ve really done a nice job telling the story. The transitions between prose and poetry are fluid. I really enjoyed it.
omg – I have goosebumps on my goosebumps, girl! And right before bedtime – what a scare. The perfect month for horror stories though.
holy crap….wow laurie…this got a little scarier and scarier as we went along…evil begets evil begets you know…and perhaps her heart was heard and answered…
I was going to read yours before calling it a night but I think you’ve frightened me into a second wind – haha. Phew I definitely am not enjoying sitting in the quiet, alone, anymore. Clearly you use the movement between spell/poem and prose to intensify the suspense and emotional response from the reader. I love how Sheila puts it goosebumps on goosebumps; I’ll be looking over my shoulder for a while
.
This piece dramatizes the familiar, “Oh what tangled webs we weave when firstwe practice to deceive.”
really scary…you painted another world………will haunt for some time……!
Wow! Half expecting something along those lines – well, if you muck around with voodoo dolls, what can you expect? – but when it came it still took me by surprise.
what a closure…this is perfect for creeping Halloween tales ~ Great weaving of prose and poetry ~
Wow, this was a chilling read. I was really surprised by the ending…which was a good thing! Love the unpredictable in poetry.
how absolutely delightful !
well..hello! revenge begets revenge. very good
Somehow this poem reminded me of Robert Browning’s poem “Porphyria’s Lover”–the subject is only generally the same, but the unnerved, anxious feeling I get from reading both his and yours is exactly the same. Well done!
Wow… thanks!!
Wow, Laurie – this was a wonderfully scary read! Good one for a dark Oct night – K
OK – this is my uncensored first reaction:
“Ooo, this is kick-ass good, baby!”
Now I wouldn’t normally be that familiar, but this was a true winner. I just experienced real art. Thanks and a big hug your way!
Exotic different take on poetry and prose…nicely done!
Whoa! Who do the voodoo?! Very striking. k.
Darn, that ending took me by surprise. I know that you rep what you sow but wasn’t expecting her karma to hit back so soon. lol
What a write! bravo
Telling a story as it is. Cut out to be a scary tale enhances the thrill. Wonderful combination of the the prose and the verse! Nicely Laurie!
Hank
wow! a fascinating twist! well done, Laurie!!!
♥
Those who live by the pin… er, uh, anyway… Voodoo, wow, this is a new one for you, methinks, Laurie. Loved the rhymes at the beginning, seems like the sort of thing one would do when a) disappointed by a lover, and b) somewhat in need of therapy. And that ending, YIKES!! Interesting that both instruments are sharp… and useful in the right hands. Peace, Amy
Oh, what a fabulously creepy tale… took my right back to the knowledge that forgiveness is always the best way to go. A wonderful job with the prompt and form.
Great curse! Would love to read the short story!