Our last entry for Women in Horror Month is a piece by Sri Lankan poet, Anne Silva! This poem will also be listed as part of our online poetry series, INSTINCTS.
‘The Legend of the Devil Bird’ is based on a folktale about the Ulama (devil bird) that sounds like a women screaming in terror. What horror took place, that this woman would run away to the forest and become the Ulama? Look for clues in Anne’s poem, before going to look up the origin story 🙂
The Legend of the Devil Bird
Anne Silva
He made her meal that night
As a man, he should not
To the woman cooking is right
But argue did she not
The meat he said he found
Lying in the jungle deep
To a paste he ground
The spices he let seep
“Let the babe taste this!”
The woman, so proud, said she
Evil smile, on the face of his
Ran she, so far, to the trees with a shriek
Anne Silva is a student/writer from Kandy, Sri Lanka who publishes her work online as Poetry of Despair. She is inspired by emotion and nature, and writes to express what she feels.
You can read more of her work at: www.instagram.com/Poetryofdespair
www.facebook.com/Poetryofdespair
Catch up on all the Women in Horror Month features here.
Feature photo (eagle-owl) by Agto Nugroho on Unsplash
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