Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Under the Willows, Part 2 (narrative poem)

(A young man yearns to have the power to reach beyond mortal ends. A sensual vampire tale in the tradition of THE HIGHWAYMAN by Alfred Noyes. Just joining us? Go back to Part 1)



Among the monuments, Collin embraced
Purity won by the grace of death
And oftentimes he found sanctuary
A secretive place to rest

The sculpted roses and angels kneeling
Wept with a yearning for what was lost
He strangely sensed in the soil were hidden
Embraces consigned to dust

The ashen moon, his lovely companion
Painted the writing with ghostly hands
His trembling fingertips traced her name
A soul who might understand

A breeze from eastern horizons whistled
Valleys of trees turned their silver leaves
He felt the footsteps before he heard them
Malevolence shook his knees

**To be continued**

On to Part 3.

(Photo from the historic Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.)

15 comments:

paisley said...

i love the rhythm you have maintained in this.. it allows one to get a feel of movement.. first from life to death and now.... beyond????? excellent.

Aine said...

A secretive place to rest

:)

mermaid said...

I hear the leaves echo a yearning, and the rhyming adds to the yearning for the lost. You write of the human condition so eloquently and accurately.

Anonymous said...

Jason ~ I am so taken with this series ... absolutely mesmerized - and the photograph is perfect!

Anonymous said...

Paisley, thanks. :) There's a certain comfort to a strict meter. It pulls the verse forward.

Aine, you know those places.

Mermaid, it takes a special skill to hear it too. Thanks for that.

Beth, thank you for your excitement! It makes writing it a pleasure. As for the photo, I'm kind of falling in love with it. There is such a poignant and ethereal atmosphere.

Miladysa said...

"He felt the footsteps before he heard them"

Wonderful!

JaneyV said...

"He felt the footsteps before he heard them
Malevolence shook his knees"

AAAARRRGH!
I love the word 'malevolence' - it conjures up a mildewy rotten soul completely absent of any goodness. I am so looking forward to part 3.

Yet again beautiful photo.

The Anti-Wife said...

Love how the photo enhances the poem.

EATING POETRY said...

Such beauty in every word. Love the accompanying photo. Can't wait for part III!

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

This is great - but I wish you would give us more at a time. I'm just getting more of a picture and more of a story - more of a feel and sense - but then you leave us with a to be continued. Man you are such a tease! ;o)

Anonymous said...

Miladysa, the sense of touch will be important to this story.

JaneyV, it's a guilty pleasure to fit a multi-syllabic word into the meter. :) "Malevolence" got a lot communicated in a small space.

Anti-Wife, it pulls the mood down around you, doesn't it?

Eating Poetry, thanks! I'm enjoying the writing process. Nice to see you dropping by.

Ello, sorry to be a tease, but you know me. ;) The truth is, I have a limit to what I can accomplish and still stick to my posting schedule. I know it can be a drag at times, but I try to do as many cliffhangers as I can to keep you interested.

Geraldine said...

Beautifully expressed Jason. I agree with Paisley re: the rhythm of this poem; the lines just flowed so well. Excellent!

www.mypoeticpath.wordpress.com

SzélsőFa said...

Creepy and beautiful!

Vesper said...

"He strangely sensed in the soil were hidden/Embraces consigned to dust"

Beautiful... The photo too.

Sarah Hina said...

Gorgeous photo. I love the veil of darkness behind The Virgin.

Embraces consigned to dust...my favorite line. I like the yearning here--delicate, and not overwrought. Gotta read on...