EDITOR’S CORNER

How I Write Dark Poetry

In the shadows, less is more

Writing about dark subject matter is my guilty pleasure. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with horror movies, thriller novels, and the midnight mutiny of the human psyche.

Maybe I’m just a chill-seeker?

While this article is essentially a helpful (I hope) ‘editor’s insight’ published here in Iceberg’s Poetry, I’m not penning this solely for writers within our publication. My deconstruction of two devilish poems is designed to help any curious, emerging, or established poets enhance their arcane craft.

So, let’s crack the blood-stained whip and get to the good stuff! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

This is my most recent foray into the realm of dark poetry, and right off the bat, the image lets the reader know I’m not playing around. It’s a fictional poem about emotional and financial domestic violence with a twist; the female in this fractured relationship is an antagonistic force, while the male is under her ‘spell’.

I believe images are integral in conveying meaning, so I normally take between 30–45 minutes searching for the perfect picture, before I even start typing my first word!

Sepia-toned title credits roll, He stumbles over the guardrail as he goes She knows

From the first three lines, I establish the brooding mood. ‘Sepia-toned’ is key here. It evokes a sense of ruin, of a weatherbeaten, worn-out sequence of events that have eaten away at the victim for some time. ‘She knows’ is also bolded to underscore her controlling nature. ❌❌❌

She’s a showstopping starlet, a methodical Method actress with a white-ribboned spot Light firmly fixated on a dexterous damsel In ‘duress’

When I wrote this, I wanted these four lines to chill readers to the bone. Method acting is when a professional actor becomes so invested in the script and their role, that they actually ‘live’ like their character would, and even work the same job/s to prepare for filming.

So, in my poem, ‘Method actress’ alludes to the antagonist falsifying her ‘dexterous’ role as the ‘damsel in duress’ 24/7. I also included the hyphenated word ‘white-ribboned’, metaphorical in nature, though a white ribbon is a widely recognized emblem in support of women experiencing DV.

It’s the small details in this piece that make it so sinister. 🦹‍♀️🦹‍♀️🦹‍♀️

This is a more overt example of dark poetry, though I still leave a lot to the imagination. Once again, the image sets the mood, and it’s probably my favorite picture I’ve incorporated in my poetic catalog thus far. I love her sultry stare, her vampy Hindu-inspired attire, and she’s just drop-dead gorgeous. 🖤🖤🖤

Bodies writhe in pleasure pits, they called so I came, yessss melt into me, bare skin meets Caressing contextualities kissing lips lurid Navels nectar soon nothingness, beware

When I wrote this poem I had a very clear ‘vision’ of what was taking place; a dozen or so frisky frolickers do as they must, and an impossibly beautiful (and mysterious) entity enters the ‘pleasure pits’ without anyone acknowledging its presence. I wanted to leave it up to the reader whether this is a male/female/non-binary figure transcending ‘nothingness’.

He’s eager to please | I’m eager to squeeze The ineffable (it’s inexorable) from his sunken Cheeks, wide-eyed awe (awww!) so shocked? Lip-locked and impotent, once so important Weren’t you?

After a little razzle-dazzle, an unlucky bystander is seduced and, well, doesn’t leave with his soul intact. ‘Wide-eyed awe (awww!) so shocked?’ can be interpreted as the entity toying with its ‘prey’, as the aforementioned randy bystander realises he picked the wrong bed hopper this time around.

‘Lip-locked and impotent’ is key; kissing is how this entity draws the lifeforce from its victims (this is all getting very sci-fi).

Limp, labile, discarded as a leitmotif to my Underlit brilliance. So, bloodletter lovers, Who’s Next?

I had so much fun writing these final four lines. You’ll notice there’s still no egregious guts and gore-style poetry on show, I believe subtlety is a powerful poetic tool. ‘Limp, labile, discarded as a leitmotif to my / Underlit brilliance’ alludes to this entity having a ravenous appetite for destruction (and quite an ego) as one victim simply won’t suffice.

For the night is young… 🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️🧛‍♀️

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this article! Thank you to Wolf for creating this publication and anointing me as a lil’ assistant editor.

And a massive shoutout to everyone who supports my poetry! A rising tide lifts ALL boats.

Particularly if there are poets on board! 🤣🤣🤣