Those who witnessed the scene, heard
his smoke-smothered screams
remember the smell, still recall
in dreams his blistering skin
peeling and molten, smoldering
to ember. But no one can tell
how he caught fire. Spontaneously ablaze,
lighting the night, like
a garden party martyr burnt at the stake
for defying an empire.
JEAN-MARIE ROMANA is an accursed poet whose first poem was published when she was eight-years-old. She lives in Southern California where she spends her time hiding from the sun. An online portfolio of her poetry, which is updated weekly, can be found at romanapoetry.com.
COREY NYHUS is a narrative artist currently living and drawing in New York. An avid lover of
fantasy and occult horror, his work is full of stark inks, eldritch dreamscapes and sympathetic monsters. Corey is currently earning his MFA in illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. His forthcoming dark fantasy comic, Bloombreather, is slated for release in the spring of 2020. His work can be seen on Instagram @coma.nydus and on his website at coreynyhus.com.