Bogleech.com's 2019 Horror Write-off:

Scrivener - A Poem

Submitted by Shakara

Scrivener

 

Parchments and ink

A scratching quill in hand

Long-time in the writing

Not gentle the toil

 

Dredging thoughts from the black of mind

A sea of creativity plundered, I write

Dusk to dawn alike, thoughts sparked as stars

Never to rest when the drive demands it

 

Candles burnt to stumps of wax

Ink of purple, blue, black

On and on, page upon page, I scribe

How many times has the moon risen ‘pon me?

 

The siren song of slumber calls

But I know tis a ruse

A powerful draught of earthen-dark elixir

Poured down the throat, it chills with icy burn

 

Pages make novels, and novels to books

Every nook and cranny, pilfered for an idea

The lanterns snuffed, the oil burnt out long before

How many times has the sun set ‘pon me?

 

The castle is large, yet not infinite

Parchments all over the library desks

How many rooms are there? I do not recall

I have not heard the doors open in a long time

 

Alone, the hall sees naught but this breath

The hands affixed to pages and quill

When did they leave? Who had fled?

I remember nothing but to write

 

The torches gasped their last in a crackle of red-black

I write by the starlight through the glassless window

Have I slept? Have I eaten? Have I drank?

Superfluous worries, I continue to scrawl

 

Woe and tears. Woe betide who sees upon I

I know not what happened, but I know they wouldn’t look upon I with favour

Here I lay, scrawling, the infinite scribe. For what? For who? Myself?

If I run out of ink, I shall simply use blood! If I run out of paper, I shall write ‘pon my skin!

 

When my skin was covered, I writ on the walls

When I ran out of blood, I used ashen water

When I ran out of energy, I kept going

When I ran out of tears, I kept going

 

I hunger not

I thirst not

I sleep not

 

I write on. Tis my office to do so, and shall I write
Write of the past
Write of the present
Write of the future
Write of the earth
Write of the skies
Write of All and write of Nothing

I write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write write ... ... ...