the ghost blends with the patterns in the wallpaper
it shines in the crystal lamplight
it trades darkness with the nighttime hours
it sits on the dusty picture frame and waits
you used to walk around the bend
you used to enjoy a nap in the summer shade
you used to ignore the days when it rained
the ghost blends with the patterns in the wallpaper
and waits on the curving stairs
the ghost glitters in the reflecting window glass
it sits by the fire when I'm not there
9 comments:
Jason, this reminds me a little bit of The Woman in Black, which I just finished reading.
It really irks me when ghosts are more at home in our houses than we are. If only evicting them were as easy as smashing out windows and ripping out wallpaper. Jason, what is meant by it trades darkness with nighttime hours?
sometimes i wish our house was haunted. but i think i'm much better off without a ghost. and sometimes, there are times when i feel i'm seeing ghosts around and above people in a crowded place.
to Linda- i think the line in question may as weel mean that the 'resident' ghost (of the house) brings along darkness even when it is full sunshine.
but those are just my feelings.
weel=well, sorry for that.
Love the first line especially!
Loren, very cool. I love hearing similarities and common themes.
Linda, the poem was an exploration of a strange sense I get with the interaction of atmospheres (which are our own feelings) and things and places. The ghost here, which could also be the strong, almost living presence of a style like the Victorian period, is in a kind of give-and-take, symbiotic relationship with the house. The ghost is creating the atmosphere of the place as much as the objects are. One feeds the other, and either would be diminished without the other. That's how I saw the darkness also. It's not a ghost in the dark. It's a darkness that is changed by the very presence of the ghost. It's more than it would be without the ghost. They add to each other.
Szelsofa, I like your read! I also doubt that I would like living in a haunted place. Unless I felt a connection to the ghost itself. I think I might like that.
Lee, it all flowed from that first thought as I stared at my little photoshop job here.
I find something very comforting in your poem, Jason. It's like the ghost belongs there, it's part of everything in this house. And the house wouldn't be 'complete' without it's presence.
Ghosts of our own past are always lurking around familiar places.
Hey jason. I hope you are doing good!
Margaret, you're right. It does convey that presence, that impact. It would be less without it.
Mona, so true. And thanks for thinking of me! I hope you've been well also. I've enjoyed seeing the photos of your new family members on your blog.
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