This time of year is known for being cold and dark, highlighted by warm, spicy drinks next to a fireplace. What better way to spend these winter evenings than to read a book of morbid poetry by author Ridley Mortis: Poems of Grave Importance.
Published by Graveface Publishing, Poems of Grave Importance is just over 100 pages of beautifully frightful poetry. As someone who is obsessed with Halloween, this book was a delightful reminder that with Witching Season will come again and that the ghouls and creatures that only haunt on Halloween night were still accessible through these pages.
This book is dedicated to the weirdos, the freaks, the goofballs, the
Ridley Mortis, author
dummies, the nerds, the geeks, the fools, the bad kids and the outsiders… without you, the world would be a very boring place. Be gentle and kind and wild inside. See you in the dark, fiends.
Poems of Grave Importance holds short wisps that are not only a breeze to read, but lean towards a sing-songy rhyming style that I can’t help but bob my head to. Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, but I love when they do! It feels similar to learning a nursery rhyme, only it’s about pumpkin carving and midnight movies gone wrong. It is as if Poems contains a new world on each page, conjuring nostalgic memories of October’s past that dance into your brain with ease. And even though many, if not all of these poems are short, they still hold so much story to them; the trick is that your own mind fills in the gaps for you!
And I would be remiss to not mention the images that accompany these poems. Punctuated by the work of multiple artists, Poems is illustrated with everything from laughable musings of a haunted pumpkin, to mystical dragons straight out of a medieval tapestry. My favorites were, of course, anything depicting mid-century monsters, like Tim Baron’s “Halloween,” PigBoom’s “Pick A Pumpkin,” or “Drive-In Massacre” by Jenny Richardson of Classy Creeps. There was much care in pairing images with the poetry, which I appreciated. Though it may seem a little mismatched with the different art styles, I am reminded again that each poem is unique, so the illustrations should reflect that as well.
“Where Wolf?”
Where Wolf, Poems of Grave Importance
“There Wolf!”
Coming ‘round the bend.
Ready to bite on your neck,
“Oh yes! You’re next, my friend!”
Poems of Grave Importance is a Halloween delight to read at any time of the year. It is fun and quick, so much so that I wish it was longer. It is filled with imagery and words that echo the feeling of a stroll through the woods under moonlight, or the smell of an autumn breeze — even the feeling of seeing monster costumes at the local spook shop. Poems of Grave Importance is indeed that: meaningful, nostalgic, creative written art. Short enough to read in an afternoon or to pick and choose as a goodnight story to your little monsters, Poems of Grave Importance is a cozy comfort, particularly on these cold winter nights.
Find Poems of Grave Importance on its website, and give Ridley Mortis a follow on Instagram.
