The Ice-cream Man ~ a Poem of Horror

Introduction to The Ice-cream Man

I originally published this poem as Mr Sammy’s Torture Chamber on HubPages back in 2013. It got quite a response at the time I published it as it was much darker than anything else I had previously written. Since that time views have dropped off so I decided to re-publish it here under a new name, The Ice-Cream Man.

It was my first attempt at writing anything that wasn’t a love poem, children’s verse, or an inspirational piece. Since then I have diversified and intersperse my more light-hearted verse with something a little more confrontational. I hope you enjoy “The Ice-cream Man,” (or not.)

The Ice-cream Man

Narrow staircase
Leading down.
Old bomb shelter
Underground.

Damp stone walls
And slimy floor,
One lone light bulb,
Padlocked door.

Hear the cries
Of tortured souls,
Whipped and beaten
In this hole.

Children missing,
And troubled teens.
Once brought here
They’re never seen.

Chained and hanging
From the walls,
No one hears
Their pleading calls.

Mr Sammy’s
Friendly manner,
Suits his job
As ice cream vendor.

Hides the evil
In his soul.
Cruel abuse
This devil’s goal.

The news reports,
And Facebook pleas.
‘Missing’ posters
Placed on trees.

Police announcement
On TV,
Advise the town
Of killing spree.

“Please stay calm,
No need to panic.
We’ll protect you
From the maniac.”

“Watch your children,
Lock your door.
Leave the rest
Up to the law.”

Mr Sammy
Unperturbed,
Drives his van
Up to the kerb.

‘Greensleeves’ announces
Ice-cream’s here.
Hungry customers
Soon appear.

He greets each person
With a grin.
Seems innocent
Of any sin.

But if one solitary child
Should approach his van alone,
The ice-cream man says, “Come on in,
And make your own ice cone.”

Then back to his torture chamber
Mr Sammy takes his prey.
Smiling as he contemplates
The games that he will play.

John Hansen © 2013

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John Hansen

Longtime poet but not in the traditional technical sense. I enjoy rhyme but like to experiment and dabble in many different forms and maybe even make up some of my own. There is always a message or lesson I want to promote through my writing, for that reason, my poetry generally shies away from the abstract and obscure.

Now I find myself branching out and experimenting with short fiction, and thoroughly enjoying this, especially flash fiction.

I have been fortunate to have two poems made into songs and recorded. The first "On the Road to Kingdom Come" by Al Wordlaw, and the second, "If I Could Write a Love Poem" by award-winning Israeli/British singer Tally Koren.

My services increasingly in demand as a freelance writer and I have ghost-written the text for a number of children's books and educational tutorials.

It has taken me many years of searching and restlessness to realise that my life's passion is to write. It saddens me that I wasted so many years not devoting to that, but thinking positively, the experiences gained over those years are now wonderful material for my stories and poems.

I want to try to bring a new focus on poetry and try to make it appealing to a new generation of young people and those who thought they never liked or understood it before.

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