GATERMEN

Gatermen haunt terror swamp
Hoping to devour women or men,
Lurking silently in murky reeds
Then lurching forward once again.

With bodies like scaly humans
But elongated reptilian faces,
Gatermen live to kill and feast
Upon mankind or other races.

Anything breathing is fair game
Anything the Gaterman found,
Anything that can run in fear
They can eagerly run to ground.

Gatermen swim in terror swamp
Only their eyes above the water,
Hoping to detect movement near
To engage in hideous slaughter.

Bloody weeds float in the swamp
Wherever the Gatermen have been,
Half-maddened travellers tell tales
Of monstrous things, they've seen.

Death lurks in the forest
Around the swamp of terror,
Hideous manlike reptilians
The Lord has made in error.

Dogs yap at the Gatermen
Then give out a ghastly yelp,
Owners quiver at the sound
Then foolishly go to help.

Rangers go to investigate when
An abandoned campsite is found,
But when no signs are discovered
Assume the family has drowned.

THE END
© Copyright 2022 Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia