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Page: Profile: Poetry
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Poem Specs
VxPoem ID: 17348
Category:
other
Posted: October 25th. 2005 1:47:31 AM
Views: 916 |
A Visit to the Wayward Place (A Halloween Poem)
by Nika
Age Group: Adult
The little girl rushed up the garden path,
Ducking under branches of Elder and Hawthorne,
Stumbling on the cracked rocks of the bird bath,
Leaping up stone steps, smooth and worn,
Across the dim verandah she raced,
Past crystals reflecting the candles warm light,
Until a large, heavy wooden door she faced,
Which she wrenched open and darted through in fright.
She gasped for breath in the dusky hall,
Twigs and brambles snagged on her skirt,
When in walked a woman, fair and tall
And the girl gave a yelp like an animal hurt.
The surprised woman gazed at the child,
With flaming leaves entangled in chestnut locks,
Translucent skin, flushed cheeks and green eyes wild,
A tear in her rosy shirt and rumpled, muddy socks.
The young girl rushed to the woman with a cry,
And wrapped her scratched arms around her tight.
The woman gently hugged her and with a soft sigh,
Asked, “What happened, dear child, are you alright?”
The shaking child could do no more than weep,
As the woman comforted her with loving care,
Rocking the girl lightly as though to sleep,
And smoothing the leaves from her tangled hair.
After some time, the young girl did rise,
Wiping the tears from her troubled face,
She stood, and looked deep into the woman’s eyes,
Whispering, “Something terrible is at that place”.
The woman froze and watched the child in fear
Dark images flooding through her mind,
She longed for yet dreaded what she might hear,
What was the terrible thing the child did find?
Then the girl looked ashamed and gazed at her hands,
And, looking down, in a soft voice she did say:
“I’m sorry, but I went to the Wayward Lands,
I heard kids’ voices and just wanted to play.
I know you said not to leave the forest ground,
That it’s not safe for me to go over there,
But I couldn’t help it, when I heard that sound
Of children’s’ laughter floating on the air.”
She paused, twisting her curls around her hand,
Before brushing stray hairs away from her mouth,
“So I crept through the forest of the Homeland,
Following voices carried on the wind that blows south,
I crawled through the bushes where the forest does end,
And walked onto a hard, flat, black and gray ground.
There I listened to the voices, hoping to find a friend,
And explored the Wayward Land, looking around.”
Again the girl paused, in her eyes glistened tears,
But with a shake of her head, she continued her tale:
“Even though I heard kids voices in my ears,
There were no kids but monsters there, ” she did wail.
“There were all kinds of monsters everywhere,
Imps, fairies, elves and other such creatures, too,
The dark and naughty creatures of the night were there,
But all the kids were gone, there was nothing I could do.”
“I’m sorry, mummy, you told me never to go,
Down to that land if I’m all on my own,
And midwinter is coming, a time that I know,
When Fairies and Spirits come out, ” she did moan.
Again the tears cascaded over her features,
As her mother drew her into a tight embrace,
“And now, mummy, all sorts of creatures,
Have taken all of the people who lived in that place”.
Then the child whispered, “There is still more,
Mummy, the monsters came for me too,
A ghost, a vampire, a werewolf and a monster from lore,
All came at me; I didn’t know what to do.
Laughing evil laughs, they were so big and mean,
They scared me and trapped me, blocking my way,
They were the scariest things I have ever seen,
They formed a ring around me so I couldn’t get away.”
“Oh, mummy, I could see the forest just out of reach,
And knew if I reached it I would be safe from them,
So I whispered that protection rhyme you did teach,
And threw into the air my little crystal gem.
I don’t know what happened, my crystal flashed,
And those mean monsters were no longer there,
So I turned to the forest and straight home I dashed,
But left my crystal in the monster’s ‘Wayward lair’.”
“I ran all the way home, didn’t stop at all,
But I’m scared they might have followed me here,
Because I heard the monsters’ shout and call,
They will come and gobble us up, I fear!”
With a smile, her mother held her tight,
“Do not worry, dear child, they won’t find us two,
Hush, hush darling, everything is alright,
I think those monsters are more afraid of you.”
The girl looked up at her mother’s kind grin,
Her confused eyes silently asking ‘Why?”
And as her mother wiped a tear from her chin,
Her question was answered with “Time to take to the sky.”
Soon mother and daughter rode the wind in the air,
The full moon kindly giving them light,
The laughter on the wind blew through their hair
As both returned to the girl’s terrible sight.
High in the sky in her mother’s safe lap
The child saw the edge of the forest come near,
Soon she saw where the monsters had made their trap
But hidden in the night, she felt no fear.
The monsters roamed beneath her feet,
Moving in herds from door to door,
They chimed a chorus of ‘Trick or Treat’,
Then continued on their way to do this once more.
As the confused child watched this take place,
Her mother reassuringly reached for her hand,
Then, with an avid smile lighting her face,
She spiraled down towards Wayward Land.
When safely in the shadows landed they,
The woman turned to her daughter and said:
‘Tonight is the night when its safe here to play,
For the unknown is not feared, but enjoyed instead.”
“My daughter, today is a very special time of the year,
When youngsters in costume wander the streets,
Dressed in costumes of beings they love and fear,
Knocking on doors and receiving tasty treats.
The monsters you saw were not real beings of night
But simply children dressed in holiday attire,
And although they have given you quite a fright,
I must go and restore them from the crystal fire.”
“Tonight is a night in which you too can partake,
And luckily no costume you need,
Just wear your hat and my broom you should take,
To gather for yourself a very tasty feed.
Compared to the town we have flown over before
I know this must seem a very strange scene,
But ignore the old rules and knock on the stranger’s door
For today is the holiday of Halloween!
The woman than walked towards that place,
(As the child rushed towards the nearest door)
Where the ‘monsters’ brought tears to her child’s face,
And there she carefully examined the floor.
Before too long her fingers closed over a stone
As smooth and clear as any glass,
Then she found four figurines thrown
Into the earth between soft blades of grass.
When she pulled the figures into the moonlight,
And brushed the crumbling earth away,
A ghost, werewolf, vampire and monster came to sight
Nothing more than figurines made of clay.
She studied the effect her daughter had made
And walked towards the forest with the toys,
Before lining them up in the forest trees’ shade
And with a simple word returned them to boys.
As the boys stood frozen lost between the trees,
Amongst the branches, a soft voice swept through,
“Next holiday, may you remember, please,
That you never know what one can do,
Things can be more than they appear, as you have seen,
And you never know what will come your way,
Remember that magic is real on Halloween,
And all beings merge together on this holiday.
Author's Notes: Just a Halloween themed poem I wrote while I was supposed to be studying, ahhh procrastination, what will we do without it hehe. Of course, this is more based on the fictional idea of witches and Halloween, although a few pagan references are made :) Hope you like it, its one of my fav holidays, afterall what's not to like about a holiday involving dressing up, crazy make up, jokes, chocolate and pigging out on lots of junk food! ;) lol
Author's Location: Brisbane - Chapel Hill, Queensland
More Poems: Nika has posted 6 additional poems- View them?
Author's Profile: To learn more about Nika - Click HERE
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