Madustex
Having horrified youngsters all around the world and for as long as anyone can fathom, it is difficult to identify the origin of the Madustex. However, it is worthy mentioning that although its presence varies immensely, there are unique characteristics that each sighting of this ever-present lurker have in common. It is attracted to dark and dusty, but cool areas where it can conceal itself until the inhabitants of the bedchamber enter, hoping to fall comfortably into blissful rest. Before sunset, it seems that the Madustex takes on a invisible form that does not allow for the bare human eye to see it, and only after darkness, does it become a tangible being. It expresses little interest in haunting humans approximately above the age of 12, as scientists have discovered that aging provides an immunity to the horror and fear that is has on younger human beings. Because of this immunity however, the adult eye does not have the capacity at all to catch a glimpse of it, while children have again and again suffered from its evil influence. The Madustex often causes minors to experience long, desperately restless nights, eyes just starting to close as long, deep, droning breaths are heard from underneath the wooden boards of their beds. Parents have been woken up with anxious, sweaty foreheads staring up at them, begging for an escape from the feasting behemoth. Descriptions have varied from gooseflesh claws covered in horrible boils to emaciated wrists obliterated with aging warts to werewolf-like heinous toes. The more fear that a child exhibits towards the beast, the higher the intensity of the horror that the Madustex causes throughout the night.
Awesome job! You really accomplished the feel that these kinds of poem are supposed to have-- you managed for the poem to have a pseudo-science-textbook vibe while allowing the poetry to seep through. Your use of alliteration and excellent word choices/description helped paint this poetic picture really well. Thanks for a fun read!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this poem too. Everyone has memories of childhood fears, and your poem does a fine job exploring and documenting them in the form of a faux textbook entry on the monster. You include a number of intriguing details about how the monster affects the children that it haunts. I wonder if this might be even more vivid if you described how the monster can physically appear to kids. Giving it a little more visual shape could be interesting. I was also interested in seeing some pseudo-scientific speculation on WHY the "madustex" (cool name) seeks to cause fear and anxiety. Is it a form of nourishment to the monster? Anyway, you really captured the spirit of this assignment, and enjoyed reading this.
ReplyDeleteThis was such an eerie poem! It was so good! I really felt the horror that the children "felt." The descriptions you use especially when describing how the children experienced " long, desperately restless nights, eyes just starting to close as long, deep, droning breaths are heard from underneath the wooden boards of their beds." Great job.
ReplyDeleteHey! The picture you added to this poem is great! I love the Encyclopedia feel of your writing, especially when you gave a scientific explanation:"It expresses little interest in haunting humans approximately above the age of 12, as scientists have discovered that aging provides an immunity to the horror and fear that is has on younger human beings." The immunity idea really gave this Encyclopedia entry a new dimension. One critique is to look through the lines to make sure your poem has a progression and is presenting information in an organized Encyclopedic manner. The last few lines seemed to be more haphazard than others. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi! I really liked this poem! It transformed an intangible and often disregarded childhood fear of the "monster under the bed" into a tangible and scientifically explained monster. The details in this poem, like how the monster is only visible after darkness, and only to children, gives it that factual, scientific feel. I also enjoyed the poetic language, especially "desperately restless nights" and "gooseflesh claws." One thing that I would love to read more about is why the monster has so many different appearances- does it appear differently to each child? can it shape-shift? are there different species?
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!! It really ignited my childhood fear which is exactly what it seemed it was supposed to do! The picture was perfect as well, chilling. I like that it is only to be seen in the darkness- funny. These descriptions: "gooseflesh claws covered in horrible boils" and "werewolf-like heinous toes" are fantastic. Keep it coming! Lastly, just a redundancy in the phrase "desperately restless". I don't think it has the power you intended, try switching the adjective or removing it all together. Same with "anxious, sweaty foreheads" Sweatiness conveys anxiousness so you don't need both.
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