The Dark Man (poem)
"The Dark Man" is an early poem written by Stephen King when he was in college.[1] An edition from Cemetery Dance Publications with illustrations from Glenn Chadbourne was released in July 2013.[2] The poem also appears within the body of King's essay "Five to One, One in Five" as featured in the 2016 book Hearts in Suspension.According to King, the idea for the poem came out of nowhere: "this guy in cowboy boots who moved around on the roads, mostly hitchhiking at night, always wore jeans and a denim jacket..."[1] This mysterious dark man was eventually built into Randall Flagg, a primary antagonist in many of King's books, starting with The Stand.