Five for Friday: Call of the Beast

"Beast" by KetsukiKyuu

On Tuesday I featured my contribution to this month's DMC challenge, a poem called Before the Last Petal Falls. (You can read it HERE.)

I'm not going to lie— this one was a struggle.

Josée Holland Eclipse

Actually, writing the poem wasn't any more of a struggle than usual. It was finding something to write about that was killer. Marcus Ewert challenged us to write a love poem about a relationship that seems unrequited, but turns out to be requited after all. Reflecting on memories was not helpful and my imagination was running on empty. My muse went AWOL... lost in a wasteland barren of ideas.

But as any creative practitioner knows, when ideas are scarce, borrow someone else's as a jumping-off point. Eventually I turned to one of the classic unrequited-becomes-requited love stories: Beauty and the Beast.  Fancying myself a champion of flawed characters, I told the story from the Beast's perspective. My interpretation is based on scenes from the popular Disney version, though I also researched the original version from 1740 by Madame Gabrielle–Suzanne de Villeneuve.

Here's something interesting I picked up from author Susanna Barlow's analysis of the fairy tale:

All of us seem to have a part of ourselves that we do not like, that feels like a beast of some kind. That side of us tends to be unpredictable and untamed. Because it is big and powerful we tend to lock it up and refuse to face it. We are, both, drawn to our primordial selves and repelled by it. Sometimes we hide it like the hunchback in the tower or we cover it with a mask like the phantom. Other times we run from it like Jane Eyre and Ann Darrow who are terrified of either the consequences of their feelings or the wild creature itself. Other times we are simply intrigued like Jane was with Tarzan.

jack-the-pmpkn-queen (click to enlarge)

Now it's your turn 
to heed the call of the Beast. 

Any "beast" will do.

Halloween-inspired ditties are welcome.

The only catch is that you need to limit yourself to five words (plus title, if you like).

As I did last year, I will supply you with fifteen words from my handy-dandy magnetic horror poetry set. (Thanks, Tabatha!) You may use these words, or not, as you please—they are offered as inspiration only.

Leave your five-word beastie in the comments and I will move it up to the main body of the post where they can all play together. Just promise me you won't stress over it— it's only five words, after all.  I'll start us off...

AUSSIE ENCOUNTER

Not 

Red Riding Hood's 

huntsman

~ Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

Here's a photo of a huntsman spider.

For those a bit more adventurous, here's a short video.

* * * * *

Ancient fire
summons
demon lies.

~ Margaret Simon

* * * * *

CONQUERING WRITER'S BLOCK

Wildly wielded bludgeon
Whacks procrastination

~ Tabatha Yeatts

and another, more seasonal beastie...

For frighteninger Frankensteins,

add fangs

~ Tabatha Yeatts

* * * * *

TOOTHBRUSHING TIME

Gargoyle gurgles,
sloshing loathsome spittle

~ Buffy Silverman

* * * * *

MINIMALIST

Skeleton:
all bones
no skin.

~ Diane Mayr

 * * * * *

LOATHSOME JACK

Hunger unleashed!
Toothless grin.
Chomp!

~ Carol Varsalona

Here's a picture of Loathsome Jack (created from a live squash).

* * * * *

Evening Ghouls
Gnawing,
Rotten Flesh.

~ Iphigene at Gathering Books

* * * * *

HELLO-BOO

Olive-eyed spiders
Spinning
Jack-o-lantern
Smiles

and

OCTOBERRR NIGHTS

Candy-corn drizzle’s
Glowing under
Snapdragon-moon

~ Jessica Bigi

* * * * *

OBLIVION

Eerie shadow
Clenched teeth
Knocking

~ Leane Gill

* * * * *

TEMPER TANTRUM

Chew me out.
Tasty guts.

~ Jama Rattigan

* * * * *

BEASTLY GENEALOGY

Dragon Lady
begot
Tuba Beast

~ cbhanek

Read the story behind this ditty here.

* * * * *

Loathsome fangs
stalk
ancient hunger

~ Matt Forrest Esenwine

* * * * *

VAMPIRE BAT

Fangs
too sharp
to feel.

~ Liz Steinglass

* * * * *

Computer Demons
Devour our time...

~ Michelle Kogan

* * * * *

Gnashing fangs
rip the darkness.

~ Rosi Hollinbeck

* * * * *

Gruesome Ghoulies-
Freaks of Nature

and

 Off With Their Heads!
CHOP

~ Janie Lazo

Two reminders before you go: 

Last call for Ditty of the Month Club poems! Next Friday will be our wrap-up celebration and MUMMY CAT giveaway. Besides my own, this week's featured poems were by Teresa Robeson and Leane Gill.

Be sure to stop by Jama's Alphabet Soup for a sweet treat and this week's Poetry Friday Roundup.