The Eldritch Poetry of Dennis L Siluk's I (2006)



1)A Fearless Night


I sat quietly, and watched the night weeping in—
Lonely from some eerie dark, unknown to man.
Lo! Beneath the dome of heaven, grit with crept
And conspiracy,—(Clark A. Smith looked at me)
He sucked the sunlight, hid within the twilight,—
With unrequited tears: then in ominous silence,
He tried to swallow me!...



2) Shadow-lands


I walked with the dead—quietly
In the darkness of its vaults
Looking at its ruined past,
Their shadows taunting above my head!


In the twilight of these unwashed vaults
Shadow-lands, unresponsive
Yearning hands, vaguer faces:
All shadowy hanging limbs above me!


All these grim and ghostly shapes I see
Have tears, sorrow, and misery.
No joy upon their faces at all;
I pause, I sigh, I see thee, see thee…


(I am like a dreamless bird, caught
in, in the vanishing shadow-lands of
a vision.)



3) In the Haunting Gloom of Twilight (The Devil at Dusk)


In my poetry I shall tell of the trials, woes, and joys—
To time yet unborn…;
Of sleep and death that lie ahead…and of strange music
As He beckons the world to his command,
In the haunting gloom of twilight—.


Somewhere I lost my passing grace, and there you stood—
Thou deadliest face…;
For a time: to tell the hearts unrest: in mercies unconfused
As He beckons the world to his command,
In the haunting gloom of twilight—.


To whom the unceasing fires belong (an inviolable heart)—
Numbered is thy consequence…;
A hymn, He hums: trembles the evening—of frozen flesh
As he beckons the world to his command,
In the haunting gloom of twilight—.


Silent I turn from time, that holds dominion over all—
As Orion’s sword passes by…;
Gives way to the Devils hostile Firmament: warfare
As He beckons the world to his command,
In the haunting gloom of twilight—.


Unarmed, He and I stand (like mindless clay) in the sun—
Awaiting the darkness…;
A sacrificial past for him, over Orion’s distinct sword
As He beckons the world to his command,
In the haunting gloom of twilight—.



4) Nightmare Well


The night winds, hollow—deep in nightmare well, I have peered down it countless
Times, only to find, see primal creatures climb, its slimy sides…!
The horrors deep within this well are horrors before the age of man, powers from
Vast terrestrial spheres, they transverse this well with slimy nightmares,
Give an endless span—; reeking pain within their jaws, claws and gaping hands.
What waits and broods deep in this looming well, I do not know for sure, perhaps:
Monstrous hieroglyphs—dim sunsets, dreams now beastly nightmares.
Against the twilight I have seen them rise—with their vast evil that never dies.
The demons wind echoes through pipes spinning to the top of the well—:
Grim and cold, oozed through the many corridors below….Thus, only the Moon
Sees what legends talk about; ages gone, and to come; hence, if you are sane,
Do not look down the well, unless you cannot help it: what a pity!...



5) The Ghoul of La Laguna de Paca


In English and Spanish

Part One

I shall tell you a legend of long ago
Of the sunken city of La Laguna de Paca,
(Where I had met a lingering ghost)
Wherein this region of Huancayo-Peru;
Truth lies, but only the soul knows.


Part Two

So the legend goes, of long ago:
During the rising of the full moon
The Mermaid of La Laguna de Paca, appears
And to the nearby town’s folks, she echoes…
Echoes: her cries and moans!!


Then when one thinks all is well—
The enchanting rings, the rings…!
Of the bells, the Great Bells, bells
Of the sunken church of La Laguna de Paca
Are heard, heard by the folks of the town.


Part Three

But there is more to this legend:
For it is said, wherein the dark night
(The ink dark macabre star-lit nights)
Wherein the eeriness of the full moon
Ebbs across the Laguna de Paca, gives birth,
To the Great Bull, who scorches the hillside!


Scorches the foliage to its bones…!
Scorches with fire and brimstone.


Part Four
And now I tell you of my tale—
A tale that took place but a few days ago,
By a misty embankment along the Laguna de Paca.


Here, here I stood, stood within its grip, trance:
Aloft in the eldritch dark--it lingered
This shadowy configuration of the ghoul,
The ghoul l…l… of the lake, Laguna de Paca--.


And there in the giant eucalyptus, grande tree
It shifted and swayed, peering: looking at me…
Then at forth glance, it disappeared,
As if it sank—submerged! …into the great lake…
Of La Laguna de Paca!...


El Fantasma de La Laguna de Paca
Dennis L. Siluk
(Traducido por Ximena Herrera Peñaloza)

Parte Uno

Les diré una leyenda de hace mucho
De la ciudad hundida en La Laguna de Paca,
(Donde yo me encontré a un fantasma persistente)
Dentro de esta región de Huancayo-Perú;
La verdad esta, pero sólo el alma lo sabe.


Parte Dos

Entonces la leyenda va, desde hace mucho:
Durante la aparición de la luna llena
La Sirena de La Laguna de Paca, aparece
Y a la gente de la ciudad cercana, ella llora…
Ecos: ¡¡sus gritos y gemidos!!


Entonces cuando uno piensa que todo está bien-
¡Los toques encantadores, los toques…!
De las campanas, las Grandes Campanas, campanas
De la iglesia hundida en La Laguna de Paca
Son oídos, oídos por la gente de la ciudad.


Parte Tres

Pero hay más a esta leyenda:
Porque se dice, que en la noche oscura
(Las noches oscuras macabras iluminadas por las estrellas)
En el misterio de la luna llena
Los reflujos a través de Laguna de Paca, dan a luz,
¡Al Gran Toro, que chamusca la ladera!


¡Chamusca el follaje hasta sus huesos…!
Quemaduras con fuego y azufre


Parte Cuatro
Y ahora le digo mi cuento-
Un cuento que ocurrió, pero hace unos días,
Por un terraplén húmedo a lo largo de Laguna de Paca.


Aquí, aquí estuve de pie, soportado dentro de su apretón, trance:
En lo alto en el oscuro – este se agacho
Esta configuración vaga del fantasma,
El fantasma a…a… del lago, Laguna de Paca-.


Y allí en el eucalipto gigantesco, árbol grande
Este se movió y balanceó, mirando detenidamente: mirándome…
Entonces en adelante eche un vistazo, este desapareció,
¡Como si este se hundió - sumergido! …dentro de el gran lago…
¡De La Laguna de Paca!...


Written in Huancayo, Peru © 2006 Dennis L. Siluk



6) The Marble Tomb


‘Twill be the same, the same
(I told him, when he was living),
A wood or marble tomb—
In a hundred years, let’s say
Or a hundred so called days
What matters to he,
(He will be dead)—?
A pompous monument
Will be of no good—yet
He built it out of Marble
(Nonetheless), not wood!


Your name will be forgotten
Amongst the rubbish and roots
O’er rotting dampness; and
Who will clean your tomb?
(I asked him all these things
Before he died; and he never
Did reply—and built his tomb
Of marble, admiring its size!)


You—in there, in that tomb…!
You cannot hear a thing—!!!!!
And out here they’re building
Yes…another mausoleum
For another rich man…!



7) The Iron Raven


“You cannot escape, debased death
(Says the axiomatic, Iron Raven,
Who delivers the dead)—
My imperishable Icons…!
Die, you shall, exhumed someday—.”
Fame is no exception, to the Raven,
He seals fate, in ignoble ways!



8) Satan's Daisies


Walk slowly, he is near
Above the clouds;
Talk softly, he can hear
Our venom mouths!


With his dark charcoal horns
And plotted lust,
He that was once fair
Is after us!



9) Evil's Creation


Thou knowith evil clings
To tender peace—;
Nor does it heed one’s drowsy
Un-enthralled grief…


But softly it darkens
Twilight’s dunes—;
With sprinkling shadows
Straight from the moon.


O Night! Who giveth birth…
To Evils plight?
As mighty murmurs
Reached my breast…:


“His name has no beginning
And no end…!”


But why…! O why?
Everlasting King,
Have you created…!
Such a thing?


As mighty murmurs
Reached my breast…:
“To see, whom you love
The very best!...”



© 2006 Dennis L. Siluk