‘Tis near the season for Halloween so why not post something a little chilling?
Working on the second book of short stories, I completed one about a young man, his high school sweetheart, and their less-than-desirable relationship. The story is actually humorous and ends well. However, in some dark corner of my mind, I wondered: what if it hadn’t ended well? What if the man couldn’t handle the fact his one true love was unfaithful? What might he do? That’s when this poem came to me.
“Goodbye My Love, Goodbye” by Jack R. Cotner Copyright 2015. All Rights Reserved.
Retreating inward from the pain,
I smell the sweetness of her hair
As we move along the path. I strain
Uphill, dragging muddied weight to where
Headstones squat like sacred peaks between
Mowed grass where walked mourning crones.
Stoic statues weathered, weeping, still serene,
Guarding lengthy rows of buried bones.
We halt. Crows pass, loud caws abating.
A portal beyond the pale awaits, silent.
The gaping hole lies open, waiting, waiting
For my dearest here quiet, broken, spent.
Farewell, sweet beauty, unfaithful miss.
I weep. Red lipstick on blue, icy lips
Beckons. Entranced, I take one final kiss
Before tossing splendor into the dark abyss.
Goodbye my love, goodbye
I rather liked the poem and ending – I guess I harbor a certain darkness.
Thank you, Nancy. Perhaps there is a certain spark of darkness in all humans. Who knows? 🙂
That is creepy, Jack and fits in with Halloween perfectly. So does the black and white picture. O_o — Suzanne
Thank you, Suzanne 🙂
This is excellent, Jack and so well written. The imagery is evocative and creepily atmospheric, and perfect for Halloween. The ending certainly ‘packs a punch’, as they say. I didn’t know you wrote poetry, but if you have more pieces like this, perhaps you should put them all together for publication.
I hope your other WIP’s are going well – your short stories and Book 2 of your Celtic series. Best of luck with whatever you’re writing. 😀
Thank you so much, milliethom!