The Hunger That Hunts
For The Poetry of the Hunt Challenge
Running through a city in the dead of night
to help a woman dressed only in white,
in a way that’s only possible in dreams—
the laws of physics don’t apply, it seems.
~
Running along rain-soaked streets at midnight,
to reach that terrified woman in sight,
through alleys and leaping over rooftops,
my thundering heart races; she never stops.
~
She runs from something deadly, it seems,
through this endless twilight abyss of dreams.
From what though, I still cannot tell—
whatever it is wants to drag her to hell.
~
She continues at such a breakneck speed;
frantically I follow, gaining on her lead.
What I chase, though, I can’t see clearly;
we can’t stop now, we’re both growing weary.
~
Nearing her at last, the end in sight,
to reach that woman, dressed only in white.
Slowing as I catch her, she starts to scream—
more animal than human in this twisted dream.
~
The monster she fled was no stranger beast;
after her was me, for a fleshy feast.
To save her I was not, I’m shocked to say;
I tried to stop, realising she was my prey.
~
I bent, touched her pulse as the world tilted;
rescue and conquest—the same line shifted.
I caught her, felt my teeth part, and woke,
knowing a hunger I could not revoke.
*
Thanks for reading!
Author's Notes: This is a significantly altered version of Running as the Beast, a poem I entered into the Full Moon Challenge a few years ago during my first year on Vocal. That prompt was to write a poem about a dream you had. It was based on a real dream I had during my teens. I found it quite frightening that, rather than the cliched, chased-by-a-monster kind of dream, the twist was that I was the hunter.
It was a nice experience trying to improve upon that with the knowledge and skills I have now, and I thought it was a good match to the new Poetry of the Hunt Challenge, as part of the Vocal+ Fall Poetry Series.
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About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
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Comments (19)
Vampire!? What an amazing dream! I loved just how you maintained a sense of duality where until the grand reveal I wasn’t quite sure if the hunt was active or observed. Fantastic Paul!
Ooooh! I did NOT see that ending coming! What a fantastic poem!
This is wild! the whole time reading, I wasn't sure who am I rooting for. Still am not but my pulse went up. I hope to see this on the leaderboard! ❤️
It’s really good! 😄 Trust you to be having hunter dreams. That made me laugh!! Never read the original.. Top work Paul!☺️
You’re on a roll! Rommie just wrote a spooky story that complements your lovely poem perfectly!
Wow. I love the twist to this poem. And the rhyme scheme compliments its rhythm perfectly, creating a racing heartbeat. Nicely done!
I don't know how I missed this the first time. But it made me so sad to see Moe's name below 🥺 Loved your poem!
This flows beautifully like dreams can.
great tale -- twisted hunger.
What a great entry for the challenge. And you described a dream exactly as it is with these lines: ‘ in a way that’s only possible in dreams— the laws of physics don’t apply, it seems.’
The visuals of this poem ran like a blockbuster movie. So good
Sometimes when you let us crawl inside your brain it terrifies me slightly, but also comforts me to know I'm not the only one with such disturbing thoughts and dreams. This was a great poem, Paul. It flowed well and built the tension I think you were going for. The ending was perfect, I could imagine that hunger haunting the dreamer for the rest the day, maybe for weeks.
Dreams are so powerful. And this WAS POWERFUL
I do ot know what is was but something drew me in and did not let go until the end.
What a crazy dream! That was definitely different than the normal chase sequence. And I liked how you subtly built suspense. Nicely done!!
Hey Paul- I very much appreciate an effort to create a form poem with repetition and rhyme. It is a difficult task and an ambitious one. Ne'er-do-wells scoff at rhyming poetry, thinking it below their imagined laureate standards - "fools rush in...." I loved the flavour and build of this piece.
Wow, I love this, Paul! I definitely felt the suspense and mystery of the chase. I really loved this line, “I'm more animal than human in this twisted dream”. I enjoyed the progression of the story and your rhymes!
You really captured the intensity of the dream. Really well written, it was great 😊
Chill inducing, good job