Celebrating Samhain at the Undead Lounge / Vampires in Training by LindaAnn LoSchiavo

Celebrating Samhain at the Undead Lounge

After our breakup, right around sunset,
Dan’s never coming home again became
My grief o’clock. Then Undead Lounge opened
October 31^st for a Samhain fest,
Barmen preparing drinks as carefully

As a blood sacrifice.  At happy hour,
A stranger bought a round and winked at me,
Eyes dark as soul-sheen ashes.  Sitting down
In his booth with my glass, I extended
My palm.  Instead of shaking hands, he kissed
It thoroughly, a white mist shadowing
Us both --- until we were inside his house.

That cocktail must have … my confusion … how …

His breath felt hot along my ears and neck,
Kite-stringing my emotions as we flew.

Did I black out?  Anointing rain obscured
A cemetery.  Fading, he became
Mere ghostly fragments as the sun came up.

 

 

Vampires in Training 

Pretending to be me, a well-paid blonde
Appears to host my Instagram account,
Engages with my followers, replies
Politely in my "voice," negotiates
All sponsorship requests, promotes my book.

Before I died, I didn’t taste success.

My maker, who bestowed the gift, arrived
When I was 55, revealed how to
Shape-shift witnessed by the moon’s upturned face.

Spoiler alert: that’s not in my memoir.

Fresh blood that energizes vamps must be
Emboldened by passion — a desire
For living, the best nourishment on which to feed.

Next comes exhilaration:  plan the hunt,
Select the prize.  No matter what you’ve heard,
Blood type’s no concern — just vibrancy.

Another cut involved text deemed obscene
Because I gushed: "The kill! My lord, the kill!"

Imagine this: blood pumping, spurting straight
From puncture’s wounds, red tears in human flesh,
Aromas coppery, sweet pungent sweat,
As it’s consumed, tonight’s hot chalice drained.

Instructions newbies need were all excised.

My lawyers helped combat that censorship.

Click on the link to join my master class.
Ten percent off — if you pay by midnight.

Native New Yorker LindaAnn LoSchiavo, a four time nominee for The Pushcart Prize, is a member of SFPA, British Fantasy Society, and The Dramatists Guild. 

Her books include: Elgin Award winner "A Route Obscure and Lonely," "Women Who Were Warned,” "Messengers of the Macabre: Hallowe'en Poems [co-written with SFPA poet David Davies]," "Apprenticed to the Night" [UniVerse Press, 2023], and "Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide" [Ukiyoto, 2023].

An October Scorpio, she is seeking publication for "Always Haunted: Hallowe'en Poems" and "Vampire Ventures."