I see the Goddess only once. My awe at her naked, moon-radiant beauty I enjoy for only a breath. Then the panic begins.
rippling water
Oh, the excruciation, as my body and limbs contort under her power. The antlers erupt from my skull. Fine fur permeates my skin. My voice constricts to that of the scared game I’ve become.
a shimmering Hunter’s moon
The growls and baying of my loyal hounds. Fifty of them, who scent only another deer to run down. Unable to speak, I flee. But I trained them too well, and though I race my newly endeered body to breaking, they fall upon me. It’s a mercy when the oldest of them clamps his canines through my jugular.
spreads out
The darkness closes in. My last thought—Her beautiful, cold face…
Halloween
the last hungry ghost
before dawn
Image credit: By I, Japiot, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=131777672
I’m hosting Haibun Monday today over at dVerse. We’re writing about either Halloween or the Hunter’s Moon.
The pub is open! Come join us!


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