Wraiths and Demons

Fleeting, teasing, tricksy lights
have pierced the earthly veil.
Half-seen wraiths that roam the night,
with plaintive, trembling wails.

Gooseflesh squirms up restless arms,
cold prickles brush the neck.
Nameless dread and false alarm
beget a nervous wreck.

Not quite live nor wholly dead,
the barrow-wights appear,
to guard the tombs of Aethelred
with superstitious fear.

Banshees wail from Irish mounds,
an eerie keening cry,
darkly fearful warning sounds
portend a mourning sky.

Sirens sing seductive songs
that pierce Aegean gloom,
they steer enamored sailors wrong
and lure them to their doom.

Oni stalks high mountain peaks,
splitting rock asunder.
Nippon trembles when he speaks
a crashing roar of thunder.

Mogwai roams the Orient,
to right an earthly wrong,
hoards up grudges with intent,
wreaks vengeance from beyond.

Qalupalik, 'neath icy floes,
awaits the errant child,
drains their youth and leaves them old,
in frigid arctic wild.

Gaunt Wendigo, with ribs defined,
haunts woods and Midwest plains,
feeds endlessly on humankind
but hunger still remains.

Jersey Devil roams the night
among the barren pines,
with hopping, batwing, goat-faced fright
it shivers eastern spines.

Boogies crouch in closets dim
or bump beneath the bed,
waiting out poor tiny Tim
who lies awake in dread.

Alone in restless night we hark
the shades of far-off fate.
A vast, unknown, eternal dark
that all must contemplate.

Human tribes sing different airs,
a babel to the ear.
But demons pop up everywhere,
we share a common fear.

Author's note: ▼

First place in the October 2023 round of:

FORUM

Poetic Traditions Poetry Contest   (E) A Contest for Metrical Rhyming Poetry. #2055137 by Brenpoet

Barrow-wights are wraith-like creatures who guard the tombs of dead kings in Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. Tolkien derived the idea of barrow-wights from Norse mythology, where heroes of several Sagas battle undead beings. Aethelred was the name of several medieval English kings in Wessex and Mercia.

A banshee (BAN-shee) is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name is connected to the mounds that dot the Irish countryside.

In Greek mythology, sirens are humanlike beings with alluring voices. Roman poets place them on small islands called Sirenum scopuli. All such locations were surrounded by cliffs and dangerous rocks.

An Oni (OH-nee) is a kind of demon in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like thunder and lightning, along with their evil nature manifesting in their propensity for murder and cannibalism.

According to Chinese tradition, Mogwai (MOG-why) are demons which often inflict harm on humans. In modern times, this has evolved to refer to the dead spirits or ghosts of non-family members that may take vengeance on the humans who caused them pain when they were still living.

In Inuit mythology, the Qalupalik (KAH-loo-puh-lik) is a green-skinned creature that lives along Arctic shorelines near ice floes. They are said to steal children that wander too close to the water. Accounts vary as to what actually happens to the taken. Some versions say that they are simply devoured, while others say that they are used to keep the Qalupalik young. As you grow old, she grows younger.

Wendigo (WEN-di-go) is a mythological creature originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Native Americans. The Wendigo is gaunt to the point of emaciation. With its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones, the Wendigo looked like a skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. It is said to invoke feelings of insatiable greed/hunger, the desire to cannibalize other humans, and the propensity to commit murder in those that fall under its influence.

In New Jersey folklore in the United States, the Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barren forests in South Jersey. The common description is that of a kangaroo-like creature with a goatlike head, leathery wings, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves, and a forked. It's described as emitting a high-pitched blood-curdling scream.

The boogeyman is a mythical creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Boogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions vary drastically by household and culture. And every child knows about monsters under the bed!

13 verses