On Dread by Mike Rader

The most dread on this earth
exists exactly, precisely,
in that sliver of time
between day's death and
night's birth.
Within that heartbeat,
that half-breath of distance,
dwell forbidden lusts,
the tormented dead,
the eternally damned,
and the yawning abyss
yearning to consume your soul.

James Aitchison is an Australian author and poet. As Mike Rader, he writes horror and noir fiction and poetry. His work has twice appeared in Black Poppy Review, as well as Horror Tree (Trembling with Fear), Thriller, Akashic Books (Mondays are Murder) and many other magazines and anthologies.