GOTHIC POEM BY: Kimberly Adolphine
ABOUT THIS POEM
Introduction by Prof. Rebecca Mazumdar
Kimberly wrote this poem for ENG3407: Gothic Literature and Visual Culture.
He must have cunning
Be clever and quick
He must be charming
And have good wit
And like any true gentleman
He will buy the lady a drink
But she doesn’t know it’s poisoned
Least, not in the way that you’d think
She smells of pink peony
And sweet naïveté
Had the circumstances been different
He’d not get her time of day
But the stars aligned in the sky this night
And the setting was just right to strike
And whisk this flower away
He loves pretty, beautiful things
Collectibles you see
He desires the fairest in all the land
As fair as one can be
He makes believe he wants her hand
He knows too well what’s in demand
And he’s happy to pay that fee
On a foundation where two cannot stand
He builds her a house made entirely of sand
And convinces her he, ever the wise
Man, boastful and brawny, is the true prize
He craves the chase, the encounter, the race
He infiltrates her most vulnerable place
Between her thighs
He lies
Words of deceit he’s soon to reap
His lust is his demise
The game he played was set to lose
She’s trapped the knight en prise
No where to run, no where to hide
She’s caught him by his teeth
Her nectar is fragrant, slick, divine
He swallows down her poisoned wine
She smiles and awaits his fall
His arms stretched wide, belly full with pride
She’s the fairest of them all
Drunk on false winnings and fictitious beginnings
He’s locked in her snare of hair
He smells pink peony and naïveté
Cloaking stenches not so mere
Her Mother of Pearl smile
And large doe eyes
Hides something more sinister there
She loves pretty, beautiful things
Collectibles, you see
He thought her just a flower
Now he’ll learn she is a tree
Who’s true nature is to devour
Any man who would waste her hours
Spinning tales of victory
She drops the charade and reveals
That all along she was privy
He was clever, cunning, and quick
Now what remains is pity
She swallows him whole, bones, heart, and soul
With his lies she polishes her teeth
Her smile gleaming, full Mother of Pearl
All shiny, pretty things beneath
