Boo Hag
Richard
Stevenson
“Don’t let the
hag
ride ya,”
the Gullah are
wont to say.
She’s a nasty,
skinless vampire
capable of
sneaking through
any small opening
at night.
Ah, but she
doesn’t sink fangs
into your neck
when you’re asleep.
Oh no! She sits on your chest
and sucks the air
outta you
as you breathe,
then takes her leave.
A succubus that
leaves you
enough oxygen to
survive –
at least for a few
nights,
a few return
visits. You’ll feel depleted
like you didn’t
get near enough sleep.
Ain’t gonna turn
into a vampire either.
No sir. And should you succumb
to this succubus,
she’ll take your skin
to serve as a bag
in cinch her
scrawny raw red
hide into a slicker.
From North
Carolina to Florida,
all along the east
coast she
mounts her victims
like a lover
and sucks the life
right out of ‘em.
Victims too tired
to resist; cannot scream.
She’ll be long
gone before anyone
can save you. Indeed, chances are
you won’t wake up
yourself
while she rocks
you with each
drawn breath. You’ll be deep in dreams.
Ssss – sufferin’
succubus! You’ll
never get enough
sleep
unless you stow a
broom
against your bed
post or lintel,
give her too many
straws to count.
She’s a witchy
woman, after all.
May be lookin’ for
a transportation
upgrade. Keep her busy; that’s the ticket.
Leave two; she
won’t know what to do.
Steal your breath,
or grab a broom and scoot.
You won’t have a
clue she
was even there,
with any luck.
The Gullah are so
clever, after all.
Had years as
slaves to learn a trick
or two. Tire her out before dawn –
She’s out flyin’
yer broom to
her cave for a
little shut-eye
of her own. If you stick a GPS
unit to yer broom,
she’ll leave a trail too.
A stick of
dynamite: she’s all over you. Boo yeah!
Richard Stevenson is a retired college English
and Creative Writing instructor. Taught for thirty years at Lethbridge College in southern
Alberta and recently moved to Nanaimo, B.C. Has the usual pedigree: MFA in Creative Writing,
thirty-five published books and a CD to his credit, including four forthcoming volumes
in his Cryptid critter, ET, and Fortean lore series.
He says: That's the boring academic stuff. More interested to me is my good fortune
in being able to transition from adult free verse of the lit quarterly variety to sci fi,
fantasy, and horror! The new titles might give a sense of the fun I've been having, even
in these Covid-19 times: _Cryptid Shindig_ (a trilogy including the volumes _If a Dolphin
Had Digits_, _Nightcrawlers_, and _Radioactive Frogs_) and a stand-alone collection, _An
Abominable Swamp Slob Named Bob_. :-)
