Thursday, October 30, 2008

On a Halloween Night

Harley Lever's "Haunted Moon" with a "twirl" effect

This is not my hand holding yours,
my darling, my scared one,
these are fear’s fingers,
this is fog’s hand, maybe,
just maybe...

These cold lips touching your temple
they are not mine,
my sweetheart, my scared one,
they are the wind’s, maybe,
just maybe...

These deep whispers are not
my words of love,
my beloved, my scared one,
only murmurs of grass,
or owls fluttering, maybe,
just maybe...

These flickers, these embers,
they are not my loving eyes
watching over you,
my dearest, my scared one
they are Moon’s or the stars’ maybe,
just maybe...

Hurry home,
my lover, my scared one,
hurry home,
run,
before
this forest of darkness
will close upon you,
before
these leaves of night,
this touch of ices,
will freeze your living soul...

Hurry home,
only there
I can still be,
I still am...

In the dead window
of our dead house,
I await you...

That spectre of shadows,
that semblance of light,
those are my loving face,
my lost body...

Hurry home,
my darling, my scared one,
outrun the phantoms,
the ghosts,
the revenants,
come home,
only here I can try
to protect you,
to save you,
maybe,
just maybe...

27 comments:

the walking man said...

I like the rhythm of the first four and they have a meter that sets the reader up for the last five verses.

One thing I may have done if I were writing this Vesper is change the narrator from the ghost in the window to that of the traveler in the second half.

It does though convey to me what I believe to be your intent in it, the dead calling to living, and therefor works as poetry.

Aine said...

Ooooh... I'm not sure I'd go home. Too scared!

Happy Halloween, Vesper!

L.A. Mitchell said...

I can't think of a more perfect combination for Halloween...creepy with a heavy dose of sensual :)
What a gift...thanks.

BernardL said...

Chilling word companion for the picture. A perfect shade of darkness for yet another Halloween coming all too soon. :)

Lucas Pederson said...

Dark, and lovely. I really enjoyed this! Thanks Vesper!

Barbara Martin said...

Very creepy.

Charles Gramlich said...

Definitely a good and creepy one. I'm with Mark. I like the rhythm of the repitition. Adds an extra creepy element to the poem.

laughingwolf said...

so a propos... both poem and graphic, splendid together! well done!

happy samhain, or samhuinn, if you prefer ;) lol

Unknown said...

Ooh, shivery, deeply creepy. Wonderfully done, Vesper! Good thing Halloween means absolutely nothing to me or I'd be having nightmares for the rest of the night!
xxx

Unknown said...

Happy Halloween to you. However we don't celebrate it.

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

Vesper, I had to come and see who visited my blog. Thank you so much for stopping in. It was exciting to see a new "face."

"On a Halloween Night" is one of those poems that I read and say,
That is exactly how I feel, but I don't know how to write it down. It is just entrancing!

The graphic is perfect, too, for this bewitching evening. All in all a captivating post!

Happy Halloween!

Anonymous said...

The language was beautiful. It was a true mixture of song and prose. I loved the repitition. It simply created a chorus.

I really like this piece. It makes me wish I had a talent for poetry.
I'm adding you to my blog roll, for easy access for further poetic delights.

Anonymous said...

Oooo, this was so good! :) A perfect cut between love and fear. Very, very chilling.

Happy Halloween!

Leigh Russell said...

I love the picture - and then the poem. Creepy.

Vesper said...

Mark, thank you kindly for your remarks. I really appreciate your reading and commenting.

Thank you, Aine! I hope your trick-or-treating was pleasant! ;-)

And I thank you, L.A., for such nice words... :-)

Thank you, Bernard! You're right another Halloween has come and gone too soon... :-)

Lucas, thank you! And thank you for visiting. :-)

Thank you, Barbara. Thank you for stopping by. :-)

I'm glad you liked it, Charles. Thank you! :-)

Thanks, Laughingwolf! Thank you for your wishes. I really hope winter hasn't started on Nov. 1... :-)

Vanilla, I'm glad that Halloween cannot scare you... Thank you for you kind words! :-)
xoxoxo

Thanks, Ropi! You can enjoy it, even if you don't celebrate it... :-)

K.Lawson Gilbert thank you for stopping by. We're both katydids at Jason's, so I was very curious about you... :-)
Thank you so much for your kind words!

Will, thank you for your comments. Also, I thank you for stopping by and for adding me to your blogroll. I'll do the same.

Jason, I'm very glad you liked this. Thank you!
I hope you had a happy Halloween! :-)

Leigh, thank you! Its purpose was reached then... :-)

Akasha Savage. said...

Oooh! Spooky picture. Spooky poem.
:)

Rick said...

Hello, Vesper. I'm a little late checking in because I've been traveling, but what a marvelous Halloween piece. Your narrative poetry is compelling, the image impressive, and your future very bright indeed!

Miladysa said...

Spooky :D

Sarah Hina said...

I feel such a kinship to your work, Vesper. I know I've said it before, but reading your writing just makes me feel like I've stumbled across another home. :)

The dark longing here--emphasized by the wonderful repetition--is just right. I love the intertwining of threat and embrace.

Vesper said...

Akasha, thank you... :-)

Rick, I hope your travelling was enjoyable. Your words make my heart bloom... Thank you!

Thank you, Miladysa!

Vesper said...

Sarah... I've always felt the same... Spooky, isn't it? :-) Thank you, my dear Sarah.

laughingwolf said...

no winter in my area [halifax, nova scotia], nighttime around 50F and 65F in daylight :)

Rick said...

Just dropped by again to read this poetry. I have spent a bit of time in Montreal off and on over the years, and it is the most remarkable and romantic city in North America.

Looking forward to your next posting. Happy writing.

Vesper said...

Laughingwolf, hmmm, Halifax? Interesting...

Awwww, Rick, it's always a pleasure for me to have you drop by... Thank you for your kind words about Montreal. It has a European feel, more than any other city in N. America...
Happy writing to you too! :-)

Rick said...

Thank you. I meant to tell you as well that when my son graduated from High School, he met a girl from Montreal on a cruise, fell in love, and then got his heart broken when she went away to college. He says its all done, but he still keeps her picture on his desk. Hope springs eternal and all. He told me "I'm going to get rich and famous and some day I'll go back." I told him that affairs of the heart may seem eternal, but the sands of time scatter relentlessly through the years and are blown away before they touch the earth.

He says he hates having a writer for a father!

Vesper said...

Rick, he is just as romantic as his writer father... (deep sigh)...
:-)

gaia said...

This poem amazingly sums up the last 8 months of my life up. Wow.
Thank you.