he would lie on the cliffs

  the forbidding peaks,
  dark and sinister, reaching out
  rousing the old

  horror loomed
  whose boundaries no prophet might fix,
  leaping through open windows at night

  the most grotesque deaths
  had been reported —

  but this
  was not the dense pall
  of mystery —

he had turned,
could no longer be restrained — Hope
fell through the cyclone-whipped dark

  foliage wilted

  all that survived
  had to be shot

On a night, dark and dreary,
I mused, wearily.
Whatever was I to do
With it watching me?

Wings as black as night,
Ink dripping, feathers like knives.
It has eyes like stars
In a somber, summer sky.

It turned its head and trilled,
Exactly 13 times.
Each note an alarm of distress
Inside my plagued mind.

It was here for me.
It shuffled its black feathers
And unfurled its dark wings,
Showing nothing but a heart.

This heart, my life, my ever-
Changing tune. This song
Began lively, crescendoing.
Ending with a thump.

I watched it falter.
I stared at it and counted.
I got to thirteen,
And then I watched as it stopped.

Welcome to the House of Dix,
Where Otto Dix was alive but sick.
In this room, where we play,
Otto took his life and his name.
He hung himself to relieve his pain
And ‘Hangman’ was the name they gave.
His story has been shared for years and, in fact,
It is told that if you enter a match
There is no escape and no turning back.
So, think twice, and do not lapse.

To play his game, it is very simple,
What lies before you: one paper, one pencil.
The Host and Players must gather about.
The Host of the game must then shout,
‘Hangman! One Host...’ and the number of guests.
You will hear a bell that confirms your request.
Each Player is given three hints and three hints only.
Not per hour, not per round, but throughout the entirety
Of the game. If you are out of hints, you may need to worry,
Because no more is given, so don’t rush or hurry.

The Player in turn must choose a letter from the alphabet.
But to stay in the game, that letter must be correct.
If that letter is wrong in select,
The Host must draw Hangman’s body to connect.
Once all six body parts of the Hangman is drawn,
The Player in turn of the game is withdrawn.
But if the Player guesses the game right,
They are safe for the round and maybe the night.
If the Player feels that they can solve,
They should and pray that they aren’t wrong.
For if they are wrong, the Host will not draw
The head, the body, a leg, or an arm.
Instead, the Player is hung and gone.

Towards the end of the game, with one Player and one Host,
If the Player guesses correctly, then both can go home.
But if the Player is wrong, they may turn ghost,
And the only one safe to walk is the Host.