Night Mare

From Tim: Today’s submission for the creative experiment comes from Shannon M. Howell. Shannon was working as a statistician when she was told she was, “too good with words to do math.” So, when she quit work to raise her children, she began writing. Her primary writing pursuits are blogging and flash fiction, although she hopes to one day finish a novel manuscript for a story she calls “Dragon in a Jar.” When she is not writing or chasing small children, she can be found reading, updating her website FindStuff2Read.com, walking the dog, or passed out from exhaustion. You can read Shannon’s blog & flash fiction at http://www.shannonhowell.wordpress.com/ or find her on Twitter (@ShannonHowell1) or Facebook.

image from the Eden Project (Cornwall, England). Courtesy of Julia’s Place

Drifting through the forest snow

Short-day shadows come and go

Briefly casting dark around

Black-on-white crisscross the ground,

As dusk falls across this space

Creeping darkness makes soft lace,

When the whiteness disappears

The iced wood becomes all ears

A soft wind blows and boughs creak

But no creature dares to squeak,

Darkness falls, moonlight rises

Black-on-black makes disguises,

Moonlight shadow masquerade

Hides no fear of those afraid,

When the moon is overhead

Night Mare’s run fills all with dread

Clomping over dunes so cold

Night Mare’s run is uncontrolled

Terror follows where she goes

Freezing what already froze