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Volume I: Number I September 2005

_____________________________________________________________________ Articles Poems The Clean Shaven Barbarian The House of Moonlight Folks of Innsmouth: Swimming Coach Violet Eyes Solar Sonnet Sorceress Of The Egyptian Rose Reviews The Metaphysical Lens Benjamin Szumskyj John Howard Franklyn Searight Michael Fantina L. S. Fisher Bobbi Sinha-Morey Benjamin Szumskyj

In the Pits of Hell, a Seed of Faith Grows Benjamin Szumskyj

The Clean Shaven Barbarian: A Masculine Reading of Robert E. Howards The Gold and the Grey
By Benjamin Szumskyj

THE

POETRY

of Texan author Robert E. Howard is known to inherit a sense of

barbarism, pure machismo and masculinity, in which the dominating male performs all the desired and necessary roles one is meant to embark upon. However, his work, much like the author, could not always uphold this performance, and shades of constraint and sensitivity became more apparent over the course of his life. Students of gender theory comment that masculinity has evolved into something much different than its literary predecessor; a change brought on upon the gender movements in the latter twentieth century. No longer is it a case of being a gentleman or a brute; it is now a matter of performing the ideal subject position. Normative masculinity seeks to merge the two opposing forces together. In the following article, Howards The Gold and the Grey (a.k.a. An Echo From the Iron Harp), will be used to discuss the double-bind inherent in normative masculinity, operating both aggressively as power and repressively as constraint. Gender theory, in particular masculinity, begins with the phallus, an idea, a symbolic representation of the penis, belonging to discourse. This leads to two opposing forces; control and constraint. As a result, the masculine force is apparent in the symbol of the phallus, a figure of majesty and power alongside constraint and sensitivity. Civilized and barbaric; a sensitive new age gentlemen and brute. According to Abrams the masculine in our culture has come to be widely identified as active, dominating, adventurous, rational, creative; the feminine, by systematic opposition to such traits, has come to be identified as passive, acquiescent, timid, emotional, and conventional (89). As such, the two roles have merged and are now, or should be, performed by the male figure. Written in the latter part of the 1920s, The Gold and the Grey (henceforth Gold) is a powerfully written poem about a nameless warrior, whose hatred of Rome and the savage battles he engages in can do nothing to bring back the one true love of his life. It is a perfect presentation of the uncivil barbarian with a civilized heart.

Thirteen stanzas long, it is one of the author's most popular poem, the title itself being double-binded. The first stanza begins with the narrators curse-like dreaming of his beloved, the gleam of her golden hair and her eyes like the deep gray sea (185). Immediately, we are set up to read this piece as a tragedy. Interestingly, the first and last stanzas are the only two lines of poem which are not italicized, indicating a more personal touch and thought, while the rest of the story is told to inform its reader. The second stanza reveals to us that he is a Northern barbarian, a Celt, who saw the fall of the kings of Gaul and shattered the Belgae spears (185). Here, we change from a lover to a fighter. The double-bind inherent appears. The third stanza continues to tell of his exploit: smote in vain the gates of Spain to mark the lines of Rome (185). Roman soldiers advance on the barbarians and are portrayed as being rather masculine: hard hawk-eyed men, war-wise in march and fray (185). This brings us back to the dominant, majestic and controlling male force. Yet, it seems their lack of compassion, heart, and tenderness make the Romans defeat easy and swift. An interesting position indeed. The fifth stanza, details Romes revenge. Rome has always been addressed as feminine, yet, her actions are masculine, giving way to the train of thought that a double-bind inherent in normative feminism also exists. As a result, a Roman general arises to tackle the problem. We later learn his name is Marius. Howard is referring to Gaius Marius, general and consul who defeated Jugurtha, the Cimbri, and the Teutons over a period of six years (107 101 B.C.). This gives us a specific place and date. Of interest, Marius appears to be a subject of the double-bind inherent notion. Sallust tells us, in that Marius was a hard worker, a man of integrity, and an experienced soldier. Indomitable on the battlefield, he was frugal in his private life, proof against the temptations of passion and riches, and covetous only of glory (99). Although obviously masculine, his passion and love of control, civility and power seem to create a more dangerous male force. The sixth and seventh stanzas show that the warriors lust for battle and victory is not deterred, fighting onwards with the belief that death is an inevitable and an acceptable concept. It would be a case of sacrifice rather than suicide. Stanza eight shows the ultimate destruction of the warrior and his brothering forces. To conquer your enemy is to have power, and shows readers that, without

control, or, more to the point, a civilised structure, the barbarians will eventually fall under the might of Western (male) forces. The following stanza names the general who defeated his people as Marius, informing us that the narrator is one of the only few survivors who were not killed by the wrath of Rome. While his aggression and active side had made him a noble and savage warrior, his compassionate and passive nature allowed him to bear a civil heart. Dying (or badly wounded), the warrior watches as the women are attacked by the Romans and are both killed and raped without a second thought. It is at this moment, that the two roles are exchanged and Rome becomes the barbarian, while the Celtic warrior becomes the civilised soul. Before his very eyes, his beloved partner is raped. Believing her lover to be among the dead, she kills the Roman rapist and commits suicide: By the next stroke, with her own hand, the heart of the girl was riven (187). The following stanza is the warriors sight of his beloved dying. The twelfth stanza is the most emotional and shows clearly, the passive, acquiescent, timid, emotional, and conventional (89) side of the warrior, Abrams speaks of. No longer is he the active, dominating [and] adventurous (89) male he was known in life as. Comparing these to the opening stanzas, we see the warrior performing the double-bind inherent in normative masculinity, operating both aggressively as power and repressively as constraint. The final stanza is the aftermath. An afterthought that reveals to us the warrior's deep and undying love for his beloved, and that no war, no city, and no warrior is worth the life of one innocent and beautiful soul. In the beginning, we read of a noble, courageous and valiant warrior. Here we see the compassionate, emotional and constrained male, exposing to us that the two roles co-exist. Without one, the other can not be. A gendered reading of this has the narrator perfectly fulfilling the necessary role of normative masculinity, being the ideal subjectivity to exist in civilization. What is important here is that the male character must be at first, awe-inspiring while ensuring that it cannot be acted upon, rather, it can act and provoke responses in others. Implicitly not explicitly. The role of gender encompasses race, religion and all other areas of humanity. The male figure has always remained at the pinnacle of the hierarchy, so power operates through the position of normative masculinity, therefore, in control.

To be constrained is just as important. To be able to control the aggression and lust shows the opposite side of the stereotypical male figure. It is essential for a convergence to occur, therefore, binary oppositions become acceptable. We must be taken back by both roles and he must divert an equal amount of energies into each. Through this theoretical train of thought, one is not weakening the stereotypical (and realistic) side of the male, rather, it is merely (and fairly) exposing the side of masculinity which truly perfects the circle of the ideal male figure. Literature, especially works written by males, exposes to its readers that this merger of the savage and the saint is existent and works coherently as one in fulfilling all the roles they are meant to. While the male figure must be older, handsome, muscular, well equipped, groomed and can both protect and look after his beloved, he should allow room for a softer side in his appearance, though not stealing the roles of his female counterpart. The character of Robert E. Howards The Gold and the Grey is a prime example of normative masculinity, tapping into our raw emotion and satisfying our calmness before all threats of power.
WORKS CITED Abrams, M. H. (1999) A Glossary of Literary Terms (7th. ed.). Massachusetts: Thomson Learning Academic Resource Centre. p. 89. Bordo, S. (1999). The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and Private. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Howard, R. E. (1976) The Book of Robert E. Howard. New York: Zebra Books. Pp 185188. Sallust. (1975). The Jugurthine War and the Conspiracy of Catiline (trans. S. A. Handford). Penguin Classics, Harmondsworth. p. 99.

The House of Moonlight: a History


By John Howard. I FOUNDED House of Moonlight one Saturday morning in May 1981. At least thats how I remember it. (To begin with, House of Moonlight was called House of Moonlight Press, but the Press has long since vanished along the way.) I named House of Moonlight after what was, and still is, one of my favourite stories: the novella The House of Moonlight by the American writer August Derleth. More on that below. I had almost no publishing experience. The previous year, Id started out by publishing two issues of a science fiction fanzine, The Usual, co-edited with fellow High Wycombe fan Chris Lewis. This was in the prehistoric days when small-press publishing often meant cutting stencils on a manual typewriter, and then getting someone with a duplicator to do the hard work. The early House of Moonlight publications were produced this way, and this led to the policy of utilitarianism in production values that remained constant. After The Usual, I wanted to publish something by myself. I was reading more and more supernatural horror fiction published in small-press magazines for example the old Fantasy Tales and Fantasy Macabre. So I decided on a fiction magazine. In March 1981 I published the first (and only issue, as it turned out) of Not To Be Named, a magazine of fiction, non-fiction, and verse, mainly in the field of supernatural horror. I came to regard that magazine as a sort of proto House of Moonlight publication. On that Saturday morning in May I wanted to publish something else. I wanted something that I could publish quickly and simply. So I decided that I would start to publish poetry. I had also started reading many small-press poetry magazines and collections, and decided that I could have a go as well. There was one author whose work I had immediately to hand. This was me. I was writing quite a lot of poetry in those days, most of which has never been published, or has rightly sunk without a trace. So House of Moonlight entered into its existence with a small collection of my own work. And now more than a quarter of a century has passed.... But to return to 1981. I had a manuscript. I also needed a logo. I knocked one out myself. It looked like it. Later, the noted horror artist Dave Carson produced a vastly superior one, which has symbolised House of Moonlights identity ever since.

My collection had been a mixture of weird verse, plus a great deal of what could probably best be described as pastoral or regional verse. But I wanted House of Moonlight, as its name implied, to concentrate on weird and science fiction poetry, plus whatever was simply offbeat but which appealed to me. At this stage the editorial and publishing policy of House of Moonlight was decided. It was simple: what I liked. So with one publication under my belt (and one that was effectively a vanity publication, at that) I looked for other work to publish. Two English poets immediately came to mind -- John Francis Haines and Steve Sneyd. I admired (and still do admire) their work, and have always considered them to be among the best poets writing in the field of science fiction, weird, and just plain offbeat verse. I am still extremely proud to have been able to publish John Haines first collection, and to have published both poets in the House of Moonlight Poetry Leaflet series. By now I was receiving submissions of poetry. This led me to formulate an addition to House of Moonlights policies: that publication would be by invitation only and acceptance by total publishers whim, although I would certainly consider unsolicited work. I always received far more submissions than I could use. Since nearly 100% of the would-be contributors clearly hadnt read the guidelines that by now were appearing in the small press, the vast majority of the work I received may well have been quite decent poetry, but I didnt want to publish it. Also many poets never enclosed return postage, and so the policy of throwing these submissions straight in the bin was swiftly developed. I was rarely able to offer constructive criticism to poets whose work I was able to return to them, but I was not (and still am not) a poetry critic. Nor was House of Moonlight a writers workshop. But I had soon accumulated some poems by a number of writers that I wanted to publish. I didnt want to establish a regular poetry magazine, but I used the poems by publishing two small anthologies simultaneously. I have always thought that the contents could be described as eclectic! I had agreed to publish collections by Steve Sneyd, and a couple of other poets, but redundancy at work in late 1982 put a stop to that. By 1986 I wanted to publish again, and in 1986 and 1987 I produced three booklets of my own work: single long poems or sequences of linked poems. Publication had become much easier. Cheaper and better photocopying had ousted the duplicator, and so the need for someone to handle that side of things (I had never possessed a duplicator myself).

The self-accusation of vanity publication came to haunt me again. I had become a mature student in 1987, and money was short, but cheap photocopying facilities were not. I decided to publish a series of Poetry Leaflets each one a single sheet of A4 paper folded, thus allowing three sides for poetry, plus a front cover designed and drawn by the publisher. I envisaged a Poetry Leaflet consisting of a single long poem, or a linked sequence, and most of them conformed to this idea. I would sell them for the price of a stamp only (15p at the time, if I remember correctly). Once again it was my work that was most easily on hand, and which began the series. I was able to publish fine work by John Francis Haines and Steve Sneyd (their poetry was always the highlight of the Poetry Leaflets, indeed of House of Moonlight in general). Also, I still received vast amounts of unsolicited and unsuitable poetry, but the contents of a few of the leaflets came from these unsolicited sources, and I was pleased to be able to use them. In 2001 I got the urge to start publishing again. But rather than return to the era of typewriters and stencils, or electric typewriters and photocopiers, I thought that publishing on the Internet would be the thing to do. So House of Moonlight returned to publishing after a gap of several years, and twenty years on from when it first started. Once again, John Francis Haines and Steve Sneyd responded to my requests and sent me excellent work that I was proud to publish. Also, I was able to reprint poems that I had already used. New poets have also appeared on the website. The old policy remained in force: I preferred to use single long poems, or sequences of linked poems, even if the link was by general theme only. A new departure was the anthology of science fiction verse from John Haines newsletter Handshake. By the time it had published fifty issues I had made a mental list of my favourite poems, and so I contacted the poets to ask permission to reprint their work in a web anthology. Most replied favourably. One poet responded that he had no interest whatsoever, but wouldnt stop me. Twenty five years on, then, House of Moonlight maintains a web presence, and sometimes even showcases new fantastic poems of the Fantastic. I have enjoyed being a poetry publisher, even if on occasion, the divine right to publication attitude of some would-be contributors has proved deeply irritating. (They dont get published by me.) The young man of 1981 is now thoroughly middle-aged (although, I believe still young in spirit and all that). But one other thing has remained unchanged. Thats

my admiration for the story which gave House of Moonlight its name. I have read it several more times since 1981, and I get something new out of it every time. August Derleth's novella The House of Moonlight was first published in 1953, in a limited edition from The Prairie Press. This haunting and hypnotic story concerns the musician Joel Merrihew, and his return to Sac Prairie under some sort of cloud that is not only to do with his self-perceived imperfections as a creative artist. Derleth tells the story through the eyes of the adolescent Steve Grendon, an alter ego character that he used in many stories and novels. These include one of Derleth's best novels (and the author's favourite) Evening in Spring (1941) as well as his most ambitious and interesting, but most flawed, novel The Shield of the Valiant (1945). Joel and Steve form a sort of friendship, as they are often brought together through the friendship of Joel's widowed mother with Steve's grandfather, the retired village doctor, Jasper Grendon. It soon becomes clear, to both the wise Dr Grendon, and his young but highly observant grandson, that Joel is fighting an intense mental and psychical battle for his very self. This aspect of the story mirrors many of Derleth's own thoughts about the relationships between artist and his world and its inhabitants, and the relationships that an artist can have with other people that threaten or enhance his art. Joel has returned home to try to resolve the conflicts inside himself. It soon becomes obvious that only one ending is possible -- and it is inevitable. Derleth's method of telling the story mainly in the words of Joel Merrihew and Dr Grendon, but through the eyes of Steve Grendon, gives The House of Moonlight the moody aura of darkness and mystery, of things in the background and far away, nothing ever quite finished and laid to rest, that it needs, to take the story almost out of the idyllic Wisconsin setting that Derleth gave it, and put it into a twilight zone of the mind, that is recognisable and yet like nowhere. And that is the sort of feeling that I have always hoped that the work presented by House of Moonlight would bring to life! The house is still there, its stone walls aged in the sunlight of the years, yellowed where it stands on top of the highest of the moraine hills across the blue Wisconsin, east of Sac Prairie. It is closed now; it has been closed for a long time; its sightless windows are like a wall separating past time from this.... BIBLIOGRAPHY

Booklets THE FARTHEST EDGES OF DAY 13 poems by Nic (John) Howard, 1981 OTHER PLACES, OTHER TIMES 14 poems by John Francis Haines, 1981 RECOLLECTIONS BEFORE DAWN Anthology of 13 poems edited by Nic (John) Howard, 1981 SHADOWS ON THE LAND Anthology of 11 poems edited by Nic (John) Howard, 1981 VISION TO THE DARK. AN ADVENTURE Long poem by Nic (John) Howard, 1986 SISTER WISDOM: THE WOMEN TELL THEIR STORIES Series of 12 poems by Nic (John) Howard, 1987 VISION OF THE CITY. A TRANSFIGURATION 3 long poems by Nic (John) Howard, 1987 House of Moonlight Poetry Leaflets 1 BLUEPRINT FOR A PERSONALITY by John Howard, 1989 2 BLUEPRINTS: RELATIONSHIP METAPHORS by John Howard, 1989 3 SPACEWAIN by John Francis Haines, 1989 4 A FRIEND IN NEED by Steve Sneyd, 1989 5 DREAMING AMERICA by John Howard, 1989 6 SHARDS OF A SHATTERPROOF LIFE by R S Phillips, 1989 7 BITCH LOVE by Jo Delfgou, 1989 8 RUNNING FOR COVER by Paul Inman, 1990 9 WINTER LOVE by John Howard, 1990 10 IT IS COLD IN THE HIGH MOSSES by Steve Sneyd, 1990 11 CITIES OF WAILS by Geoff Stevens, 1992 12 AFTER THE ANDROID WARS by John Francis Haines, 1992 13 HOME BY THE SEA by William H Conklin, 1992 14 WINTER GHOST by William H Conklin, 1992 15 LEAVES OF AN AUTUMN PAST by Linda da Silva, 1993 16 "AND BE A PART OF NIGHT ITSELF..." by Martin Randall, 1993 Other Publications

By Skate Press (Chuck Connor) in association with House of Moonlight Press: ON THE HILL: AN AUTUMN DRAMA Long dramatic poem by Nic (John) Howard, 1981 RESURRECTION SEASONS The above, with the addition of two more long dramatic poems by Nic (John) Howard, 1984

Folks of Innsmouth: Swimming Coach


Well, I'm the swimming coach at Innsmouth High; And people think I'm pretty good, I hear. My gang wins every swimming meet we're in; We're Best of State consistently each year. They train by swimming in the Manuxet, Then race to Devil Reef to further learn. There have been times when one or two don't stop, But just swim on and never do return. I'm really not the super coach folks think, I just have students who are truly grand. They take to water early like a fish, And seem to like it better than the land. Franklyn Searight

Violet Eyes
She came from out of midnight skies, This pale and pouting pretty girl, And like some jewel, a pure pale pearl She drew me in with violet eyes. Some say the Sun it still relies, When yet the pale and sickle Moon Is unseen at the highest noon, Upon the light from violet eyes. No army on some enterprise For Caesar's quest of gold or gain, Could ever in the world obtain More wealth than in those violet eyes. Michael Fantina

Solar Sonnet
You are my sun, around whose light I gyre eternally. Burning, round your heart turn I, spurning all other suns. Come and burn, your furnace bright as any light, your fire summoning comets, down to mightily dash into your atmosphere, fade to wisp, ghost; into such sweet inferno may I be lost! Comets, meteors, deep in seas both splash, seas eternal burning, wrest from the planes of elemental flame, woven by runes hot as your heart's colder than ice-made moons, cold to love's devotion, ineffably vain. Into your gaze I shall depart, no loss, your haughty gaze of flame, to die as dross. L. S. Fisher

Sorceress Of The Egyptian Rose


Wakened in bed of maple leaves sorceress makes her way to altar in the snow lit by glass tears of starlight where she spins threads of gold into ice petals of an Egyptian rose tipped in the milk of a lotus wed in tiny drops of crystal and opal. Bobbi Sinha-Morey

The Metaphysical Lens



From a Safe Distance. San Francisco : Amnesia Press, 2000. ISBN: 1-892842-20-3. Another Eucharist. Regent Press, April 1995. ISBN: 0-916145-71-1. Odd Tales. Oakland, CA : Corelli Press, June 2002.

IT APPEARS of those scholars who work beneath the banner of weird verse, that there is an inclination to try their hand at works of fiction and poetry, in favour of the usual essays, articles or reviews that they have mastered, and are accustomed to. Some have found a perfect balance between the two, like Richard L. Tierney, Brian Stableford, and Donald Sidney-Fryer, while others hide or scorn their past attempts of wording their imaginations, feeling it weakens their works of literary criticism. Alan Gullette is one such figure in the former category, whose fiction and poetry have been published in magazines, fanzines, and chapbooks for over a decade. Published in 2000 by Amnesia Press, From a Safe Distance rightfully received an Honourable Mention in the 1998 Anamnesis Poetry Chapbook Award competition. From a Safe Distance is a tranquil reading experience, each page possessing an almost photographic feel to its page. Notes for a Braille Accordion is a gentle account of determination, the anima fuelled She is potent, the value of knowledge is weighed in The Seal of Solomon, black comedy is explored in Burial Instructions, while the mystical Carven Ivory, the cosmic Alchemy, the surreal I SAW IN A DREAM all provide to be a fulfilling reading. Those that truly sparkle are gems like Lizard Life and Psalm, to the fitting closure on Along This Road, ending what reads to be Gullettes most satisfactory best of collections reviewed here. Michael Perkins striking artwork and photography in Another Eucharist, published by Elephant Printing in 1995, accompanies Gullettes poetry rather well in what is one of the poets earliest best of collections. From the Platonic Walking Mirrors, the heartfelt A Day Goes By, the picturesque African Plains, and the archetypal Vest, to the mesmerizing Fountains in the Rain, the oneiromancy of Thoughts, the spiritual My Description of Reality and curious The Man Who Plays With Words, Gullettes command on words and themes is well presented here, each leaving the reader reinterpreting the often deemed normalities of common life. Odd Tales, published in 2002 by Corelli Press, is a mixed bag of prose-poems and very short stories, which provide us with a snapshot at Gullettes attempt to

lengthen his writing style, so to provide his readers with a personal narrative that can not be told in the form of verse. While some stories may fail to capture the attention of even the most willing reader, others, are rather appealing. Randolph and the Abyss is a warming story of a man and his beloved feline, while One-Man Utopia is highly amusing piece, which ends with the eternal words In short, I wished to be an adoring rich womans bed warmer with room and meals provided. (OT 6). A Conceptual Story reads very much like a mission statement by the author, where as On the Problems of Civilization is a brooding and contemplative piece of philosophy. The Picture is a touching story about the love of materials possessions, followed later by the exotic Lion on the Ground. From a Safe Distance, Another Eucharist, and Odd Tales are unassailable, well written and affordable excursions into the mind of an established poet. His poems have entertained, intrigued, challenged and surprised us for decades as he is one of the few contemporary poets who, through the camera of life, sees through a metaphysical lens and is not afraid to put pen to paper in order to preserve the experience. A poetry collection would be incomplete, without at least one volume of Alan Gullette upon the shelves and I believe From a Safe Distance and Another Eucharist are such titles.
Benjamin Szumskyj

In the Pits of Hell, a Seed of Faith Grows


AT
The Macabre Poems: and other selected poems Lincoln, NE : iUniverse, 2004.

THE

beginning of this year, Dennis L. Sulik wrote an article for Useless-

Knowledge.com entitled Poets and their Mental Disorders (2005), a telling piece, for the author shows no qualms in stating that most poets have some kind of mental disorder [they] are bipolar; that is to saythey have a few ounces of mania and depression to both sides of their personality, inwardly and outwardly. I found Siluks generalizations as rather dangerous, for they seemingly box his own favourite poets (Poe Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner, and Dylan Thomas, etc), with an entire community so that he may perhaps justify his own standing as a contemporary poet. While some reviewers have questioned Siluks state of mind as an author (i.e. on matters theological), there seems no reason to make sweeping comments on the nature of poetry solely by observing the lives of a handful. As such, I decided to seek out Siluks own volumes of poetry to see to see the works of a man who doubts the sanity of all poets, for if they are, they are most likely not giving you the Picasso in poetry theyd like to give, because they cant. Of all Dennis L. Suliks volumes of poetry, by far, The Macabre Poems: and other selected poems (2004) best encapsulates the poets distinct and dark style of poetry, as it not only reflects Siluks own ideologies, but defines those themes and topics which he is best able to command. His third volume of poems, the book is divided into seven sections The Macabre Poems, Legends, How it was in Atlantis, A Prose Poem, Selected Poems, War Poems, and Miscellaneous. There are well over a hundred poems, all up. Each of the above sections house quality poetry, but I feel that there is one particular theme worthy focusing on first, which truly helps define this collection Siluks interest, fear and study of the Biblical Satan and the evil his existence projects onto humanity and their fate. Siluk has dedicated over two dozen of his poems to the figure of Satan or his influence, portraying to his readers that he feels that the Christian Gods adversary is someone we should never forget, and acknowledge as pure evil. Yet in doing so, he prophetically fulfils a statement Siluk himself makes, in the poem Hieroglyphs of Doom

Im always surprised How an artist can make Ugliness, death, gloom Decay, demonic-hues And Satan himself look Lovely. (Siluk 27)

Satan and his presence is spotlighted on numerous occasions, from Satans modus operandi in Otherwhere and The Devils Windless Chamber, satanic enchantment in Soul of the Devil (Ritual for the Macabre), The Devils Rose and The Poet Demon, befriending deviltry in The Oarsmen, Satans Sidekicks and The Goat mans Fancy, and lastly apocalyptic imagery in Armageddons Hecatomb, Armageddons Incubus and The Pale Horse of Rano Raraku (which actuals cites a Gnostic text in its opening lines). Even Siluks Atlantean poem April in Atlantis has the King of Atlantis write from the satanic abode of Hell. One must interpret these poems as being testaments of the authors very real fear and even respect of the biblical Satan. Moving on, Siluks Atlantean poems are also well crafted, from the surreal The Archnights Scrolls: Codex Atlanteanus and outlandish The Princess Ais and the Poe-Hippokamp, to the majestic The Purple Robes of Atlantis and convivial Xilvaa, The Shepherdess, each are reminiscent of the contemporary poet Donald Sidney-Fryer, perhaps not in quality, but definitely in regards to their ability of imagining Atlantis. There are of course, other poems non-Satanic or Atlantean in nature, which are worth mentioning. There are the haunting poems The Eldritch Tombs and Buried Souls, each on the necrotic fate of all. Slaying the Prowess is an intriguing poem, based off an alleged vision which took place in 1984, as it has the poet admitting to a sense of uneasiness when being confronted by a homosexual figure in his dream, apparently seeking love. His two war poems, Sunday Vietnam and A Gloomful Dusk: South Vietnam, are both confronting and telling snapshots of Siluks time as a soldier in the Vietnam War, the former of a yearning to return home, the latter, of the uncertainties warfare brings. The mythical Eyes of the Pacing Serpent appears to be Mesoamerican in nature, while Mistress of the Darkness is another poem inspired by a vision, this time, of a woman in black. Rosinina Tapi of the Sacred Valley is

the story of a beloved, while Silence Falls on Uruks Walls: An Ode to Urk is a powerful poem on Sumerian mythology and the legend of the warrior-hero Gilgamesh. Grandpas Tales is a warming personal account of Siluks own grandfather, while A Garden of Voices is on the tranquillity of the humble garden whose nature is never evil, but innocent. Droughts along the Mesa is a sorrowful account of the tribulations endured by the inhabitants of the Mesa Verde region, while one of his best poems in the entire collection, is dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe, which is worthy of being quoted at length
If Poe hadn't have been born There'd have been no rapping or tapping (at least for a while at my door?) Nor would there had been morbid-beauty with depth and sin That circles the globe nor HPL and CAS. What a mundane life (it would have been) without the devil's pen. I gripped the legacy: lying on savage ground, the third-eye of the hunter, filled with wax calls for breath, in the silent Valley of Shock; thus, stung I remain, by the fruitless trees of horror then I hear a whisper: Lord, help my poor soul. (Siluk 49)

All up, Siluk is a fine poet, thought he would do well to employ a copy editor to help polish off those poems that do not flow as well as they should. His choice of topic and theme are compelling and he does not hold back in injecting his own personal thoughts and feelings directly into his prose, lyrics, odes, and verse. While perhaps, his outlook on poets in general may warrant a revision, Siluk is a poet who has something to say and despite ones religious standing, a reader can not but help but dwell on the many macabre observations he feels is necessary to project upon his

readers, young or old. The Macabre Poems: and other selected poems are worth a read to the avid reader of poetry.
Benjamin Szumskyj

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