Revenant (pt.3) – The Midnight Hour
Revenant (pt.3) – The Midnight Hour
Toll of the bell at Midnight Hour,
High above—the full moon still
Below, a sepulcher in darkness devoured,
Encased in fog and winter’s chill
An ebon fowl of blackest plume,
Solemn—perched atop sculpted stone;
Keeps vigil over accurséd tomb,
Till stir within of flesh and bone
Awakened from the deepest slumber,
Nightmare made flesh—forged from pain
With words and fists unencumbered,
By those who wish to control and maim
Twinge of madness in every breath,
Burning vengeance twists the mind
Tormented soul in thrall to Death—
Goads the raven from its earthly binds
Crypt expels this chilling disdain,
Darkness and flesh—imbue then impart
Path of corvid and beast, split in twain,
Of Earth and Of Ether—each depart
“Covet the land, no company I keep…”
Over the mire, muck and tangle,
Unhindered by pernicious terrain—
This Beast, spoke of—only in fable,
Recompense for innocence slain
A village, quiet—till breath of day,
Save for the sentinel up on high
Wide-eyed, sober, meets raven’s gaze,
Raised alarum splits moonlit sky
“Covet the land, no company I keep,
Mortal hearts fill with dread…”
Shattered silence from panicked yell,
As ominous fog blankets the land
Thunderous peal breaks Sandman’s spell,
The watchman bellows frantic commands:
—
Latch the windows! Bar the doors!
Pray to your gods overhead!
Then dare not creak a single board!
Nor let slip!—an utterance from dread!
—
No sooner these last words spoken,
Tearing of flesh, then gurgling sound
The Beast, swift!—his throat torn open
Enveloping fog, a burial shroud
“Covet the land, no company I keep,
Mortal hearts fill with dread
Inevitable slaughter of the sheep,
An insatiable hunger to be fed.”
~~~
Watch for more works like ‘Revenant (pt.3) – The Midnight Hour‘ by Raven Mirthwood. You can find Raven’s author page on The Creative Exiles at Raven Mirthwood (creativeexiles.com)
- Revenant (pt.3) – The Midnight Hour - May 3, 2023
- Rose from The Ash – by Raven Mirthwood - November 19, 2022
- Revenant (pt.1) – A Blighted Vale - November 8, 2022







Ghastly terror of the night. Very good phrases and rhyme, Raven. Well done.
Thank you. Always high praise, coming from you.
Well-crafted horror poetry. I am waiting to the next part. Jamie
Thank you. I appreciate that.
Very well crafted horror poetry. I do love how the final verse beings together the single lines into a closing stanza. Nice work.
Thank you so much! Appreciate you reading my poetry.
Delicious choices of words to conjure up dark imagery – right up my alley
I appreciate that.