Matter of Fact

In the stories of Pu Songling
the supernatural simply happens:

a troll lurches through cornfields,
a river monster sates its hunger.

There is no build-up, no suspense.
The things of the shadows

are respected, regarded warily,
but are otherwise unremarkable.

Neil Fulwood is the author of film studies book ‘The Films of Sam Peckinpah’. His poetry has featured in The Morning Star, The Stare’s Nest, Butcher’s Dog, The Black Light Engine Room, Obsessed With Pipework and Ink Sweat & Tears. Neil’s married, holds down a day job and subsidizes several bars.