A wisteria branch taps on the window
A distant dog howls at the moon
A cracked church bell tolls
Below the cloud scudding skies
The sound of dragging feet on the stairs
A faint scratch of fingernails
Muffled moans and rasping breath
Black blood seeps beneath the door
A sudden crack of thunder
The room flashes with lightening
Now wide awake, your mouth dry
Your heart racing.
All is silent, the air hangs heavy
It’s just a nightmare
Thank God
You pull the sheets around you
Wrapped in a shroud, eyes wide open
Nothing but blackness and
The rhythmic thud of shovelled earth
Muffled weeping, mumbled prayers.
A sense of fading, falling
A rising wail of whispers
Mounting into a crescendo of unearthly shrieks
Malodours of the living dead.
Taloned hands pluck at your flesh
Blank faces with gaping mouths
And coal ember eyes
Stoop over you.
Dread fear grips you by the throat
You push the skeletal hands away
A despairing scream of terror
As the fetid mouths close in
Pip, pip, pip, pip….
This is the seven o’clock news
Here are today’s headlines
And another waking nightmare begins
