EIF Poetry Challenge #8: Halloween Special!

Mwah-ha-ha-ha! I am bringing you this EIF Poetry Challenge early in order to be in time for Halloween. ‘Tis the season to be spooky, so for this challenge, I simply want you to write a poem on the theme of Halloween. It can take any form or shape you wish, as long as it is related to All Hallows’ Eve in some way.

Haunting Poems for Inspiration

For me, the ultimate haunting poem is Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. It’s an epic horror story told by a haunted and ghost-like sailor. Many scenes from the Rime are truly chilling. Take this for example:

Like one, that on a lonesome road
Doth walk in fear and dread,
And having once turned round walks on,
And turns no more his head;
Because he knows, a frightful fiend
Doth close behind him tread. (Part VI, Stanza 11)

I remember nightmares of this variety from childhood. Coleridge really taps into our primal instinct for fear in these lines.

Edgar Allan Poe was of course another poetic master of horror, and perhaps his most famous horror poem was ‘The Raven.’ Here is the poem, imortalised by The Simpsons, for some light relief from all this horror:

How to Enter

There are several ways to enter, as listed below:

• Create a post featuring your poem, and link back to this post, tagging ‘EIF Poetry Challenge.’ Please also drop your link in the comments below.
• Post your poem directly into the comments below.
• Tweet your entry @Experimentsinfc.
• Enter via Instagram @experimentsinfiction.

The deadline for entries is midnight, CET on 30th October 2020. Results to be announced on Halloween! This challenge will be judged by the winner of challenge #7, Hobbo of ‘Hobbospoems.com.’

Happy Haunting!