POETRY BY CHRIS McAULEY

A writer who specializes in the Horror, Science Fiction, fantasy and crime genre, Chris McAuley has been the lead writer in novels, comics, audio dramas and games. He is the co-creator of the popular StokerVerse, along with Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker. He has also created a science fiction and fantasy franchise with Babylon 5’s Claudia Christian called Dark Legacies. Chris has worked with some of the top names in Star Wars, Star Trek and Doctor Who.

DRAGONS

I see dragons when I sleep.
Great majestic creatures made of burnished gold.
Deep forest greens painted with ochre markings
Swooping and uttering shrieks and howls to one another
I find myself atop a craggy hill
Watching and wondering what their speech signifies.
Then after long languid moments of this vision.
The beasts turn and strafe towards me.
A tiny figure dwarfed by breathtaking beauty.
In moments I am bathed in fire
Yet my flesh does not burn
I awake and feel lost.
Making my way towards the coffee station.
I wish to dream of dragons no more.

THE LIVING PORTAL

The creature of limitless forms manifests.
I am not asleep; I feel too keenly for slumber.
Writhing and undulating, eyes blink and maws open,
Its bodies open like a mandala.
A billion geometric forms emerge.
I reach out with my feeble flesh to touch the dimensional possibilities offered.
The ancient one responds in kind.
Pus encrusted lips begin to protrude from a bubbling, bloated belly.
I sacrifice my mind as its fetid tongue washes me clean.
Born again, I have passed through the portal.
I chant the time-honored mantra.
“YogSothoth knows the gate, YogSothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate.”
As my voice fades, I have entered my true state.
A journeyman to heaven.
while huddled together
for protection
as they hunt us down.

ANCIENT PROMISE

As the night sky began to peel back, the stars began to fade.
A pulsing and dull white light began to emanate from the unveiling of the void.
Those rushing out of their homes to observe this unexpected phenomenon were caught in waves of awe and terror.
All the known laws which seemed to govern and compartmentalize their lives were suddenly being challenged.
A sudden surge of insanity swept through nations, those who clung to the old-time religions brandished placards and babbled to the remnants of the sky which was dissolving as the hours past.

Time seemed to stand still, for no new morning came just the enveloping of the void bringing an end to the stars and the arrival of a new creation.
Her naked body came forth from the emptiness, her tall frame and lithe limbs dwarfing the earth.
Her breasts were covered by a carapace that hung from the metallic horns which adorned her head.
She appeared as a crucified goddess but approached the tiny planet with an aspect of power.
Her voice rang through the minds of those assembled.
Promises of truth and peace resounded through the minds and hearts of humanity as they found that parts of them were being reconfigured.

Flesh twisted and was reshaped; vaguely mechanical features pushed and pulled their way through faces and chests.
Tubes of intricate metallic design connected themselves to mouths and sexual organs were exaggerated and brought to prominence.
That which was left was neither human nor machine but a synthesis of both.
Pleasures of the flesh were enhanced by the new design and the great creator looked upon her revelatory work and was satisfied by the practical nature of what had been brought to being.
She curled slowly into a ball and twisted back into the void.
Her revelation to what was once her home was completed.
The sky returned and a new day began on a fulfilled prophecy.