The term "Southern Gothic literature" is frequently used in discussions of works of fiction and plays, but poetry is often left out of the conversation. The critical introduction takes into consideration the established definition and traditional elements of Southern Gothic literature as they are applied to fiction and plays in order to find the elements of poetry that constitute the Gothic in American poetry of the South. I discuss the works of Natasha Trethewey and Andrew Hudgins and show how they can be considered modern-day Southern Gothic poets since their poetry contains freakish characters, an obsession with the unchangeable, and violent imagery. Then, I consider how my own work shares with Natasha Trethewey's and Andrew Hudgins's poetry some of these same attributes found in Southern Gothic fiction, thus belonging to the same tradition.