Paying for Sin in Arrears

Her cries were pure deviant lust,
Bound tight in pure red silk and trussed
Like Sunday’s turkey,
Her outlook was murky,
Her rear’s marked with dark bloody crust.

A darkly comic cartoon illustration viewed from the hallway through a partly open bedroom door. A man inside is shown in silhouette, raising a riding crop or whip toward something hidden behind the bed and out of frame; the target is completely obscured, with no visible person, nudity, injury, blood, or impact. Use dramatic chiaroscuro lighting, a suspenseful gothic-poetry mood, expressive but non-graphic body language, and a slightly absurd theatrical style. The composition should make the viewer wonder what he is striking without revealing it.

© 2026 Dark Edge of Poetry. All rights reserved.