Carey Millsap
Reading about monsters haunts me.
I never forget them—
who they are;
why they hunt.
I love them with such force
that I fear what I might become—
a literary Creature brooding and alone
or a psychotic killer with a following.
When Sweeney Todd sharpens his razors
and Frankenstein flips the switch—
strange desires overtake me,
yet I am far too gentle
on the outside
to know the thrill of revenge—
the rush of excitement,
and freedom through lawlessness.
But something grows within.
All the ink and miles of celluloid
travel through me—
bouncing around my insides
tainting my soul
corrupting my voice.
My words become mystical, almost maniacal,
yet I continue to write,
alone and disfigured—
from hours of patient practice
hoping for perfection.
Soon, I will emerge—
from my voyeuristic hut
with Milton in one hand
and unending savagery in the other.
***
Carey Millsap is a writer and teacher living in Northwest Indiana. Small-town life impacts Carey’s work in myriad ways. Carey’s poetry has appeared in Great Lakes Review, GNU journal, and the local zine Mythos. Carey’s academic work has been published in Studies in Popular Culture, The Dark Arts Journal, and some magazines and newspapers. Carey holds an MFA in creative writing, poetry and a Master’s of Arts in English.