We hadn’t been walking long when I stumbled over ivy-covered stones. I bent to have a look. Found names and dates from the eighteenth century. Other stones, each with familiar names from the island’s past and dates long gone, lay scattered and toppled, poking up through centuries of leaf litter, soft soil and faded old beer cans.
We learned the difference between
boneyards and gardens of eternal rest
in the hours before the sun went down
Where faces fluoresce in ultraviolet light
stories leapt from stone
two broad-winged hawks
circle overhead and a little
girl calls for help, her voice
coming from, disappearing into
slow-moving creek water
An incandescent spark
between two wires reveals
dead snake
spiders under a bridge
raccoon scrambling away
water full of memory
screams
submerged
washed away
generations ago
resurface
You knew this would happen,
my inscrutable friend.
You knew.
—
This is for Read Write Poem’s Prompt #85: Spooky, which asks participants to respond to a picture of two guys in a graveyard. It’s a cool image and you can see it at the RWP site.
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
I particularly liked
‘screams
submerged
washed away
generations ago
resurface’
haunting memories.
“and a little
girl calls for help, her voice
coming from, disappearing into
slow-moving creek water”
Words that haunted me…
Nice work, very haunting piece! A delightful read for the senses.
very spooky!!
I love the pace, the shifting perspectives. It reads like a horror film–a good one like, perhaps, The Birds. And I love the ending ‘You knew.’
(and congrats on all your ‘birds’ finding spots to roost these days! nice places…)
This is so well done. I love the movement of impressions up to that definitive last line.
I can’t even begin to describe how I felt reading this!
Awesome post!
don’t forget to get my cigars
Thanks, everyone for reading and for your kind words.