Horror Haiku Club Prompt

September 25 - John Barleycorn

The personification of the harvesting process and of whiskey, John Barleycorn is not a historical figure, but rather the subject of a brutal old folksong.

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Your prompt is JOHN BARLEYCORN

Praise, by beard and blood

Thou murdered John Barleycorn

And drink deep his blood

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You may be more familiar with the version written by the renowned poet Robert Burns.

There was three kings unto the east,
Three kings both great and high,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn should die.

They took a plough and plough'd him down,
Put clods upon his head,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn was dead.

And they hae taen his very heart's blood,
And drank it round and round;
And still the more and more they drank,
Their joy did more abound.

John Barleycorn was a hero bold,
Of noble enterprise;
For if you do but taste his blood,
'Twill make your courage rise.

'Twill make a man forget his woe;
'Twill heighten all his joy;
'Twill make the widow's heart to sing,
Tho' the tear were in her eye.

Then let us toast John Barleycorn,
Each man a glass in hand;
And may his great posterity
Ne'er fail in old Scotland!