Now a rose
Down an ekphrastic rabbit hole: a novel, a film, a VHS tape, a magazine article, a photograph, a poem, and a bit of artificial intelligence yield a composite nightmare
Note: Delayed offering from Friday July 19, 2024. A form extrapolated from haiku (or hellku): six lines of six syllables (here mostly dactylic hexameter) iterated six times (adding one new line each iteration): a hexametric recurrence. My thanks to Laura Sandvik for the inspiration provided by her source photograph of the infamous Georgetown, DC, stairs that are featured in the horror film The Exorcist (William Friedkin: December 26, 1973) based on a novel by William Peter Blatty.
Also see: Breznican, Anthony. “The Truth Behind The Hidden Demon In The Exorcist.” Vanity Fair, October 27, 2023.
He often had bad dreams He often had bad dreams the subway, the old charm He often had bad dreams the subway, the old charm now a rose . . . now the thorns He often had bad dreams the subway, the old charm now a rose . . . now the thorns Damien Karras thrown He often had bad dreams the subway, the old charm now a rose . . . now the thorns Damien Karras thrown down that long flight of stairs He often had bad dreams the subway, the old charm now a rose . . . now the thorns Damien Karras thrown down that long flight of stairs the martyr hits bottom