“That I might drink, and leave the world unseen, And with thee fade away into the forest dim”
– Keats (Ode To A Nightingale)
Through Hemlock
The forest clamoured with ghostly light, filtered through the broken boughs and slinking in the phantom fog, whereupon he supped the bittersweet taste of darkened memory. White flowers clustered close to his dream dazed head, poisoned stars in his forest bed.
Barefoot in mirthful mind she danced, a figment of his stupor advanced.
His name she whispered. Three painful words. Then gone was she, a phantom too faded for all to see. Saddened by the lost embrace, with a whiskey pill he did replace her haunting hands once clasped in his. Her laughter did but echo near, a solemn thing too far to hear.
He’d drank more ale and ailed more drink, the cutthroat numb for those who think. With weary lips, he’d kissed her corpse. With guilty sips, he’d sworn remorse. And now the sips had turned to draughts, a rippled mirror of times repasts.
Darkest night close rounded in, the constant keeper of those who sin. And sin… It whispered in his blood, an immortal gift that held no good. For those he loved had often passed, leaving the hated for always last.
Now he sank beneath hemlock lace that curled and feathered his haunted face.
He’d wished her dead but not like this, stolen from his parting kiss. Their hands had met from two as one; a lovers’ tryst, now broken, gone. He’d begged the graces to take him too, but knew that this they could not do. He’d made his choice, a selfish act, with a godless creed and their bloodlust pact.
So now he drank with hopeless hope; a mortal way for him to cope in losing her, his angel sweet, to his hunger that had him beat. A thousand years had passed since then, but with his drinking it felt less than ten. Each night he’d see her ghostly figure pirouette a silent trigger that stole his heart and made him weep a silent wish for her to keep.
This is a piece in accordance with Stevie McCoy’s #Nightgale blog challenge. Please check out my next piece next Thursday and the other entrants by following the hash tag on twitter.
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This is beautiful. I love the poetry.
Very smooth and dreamy.
Excellent presentation of a beautiful poem.
Loved the rhythm the story had as it was read. It flowed so vividly and beautifully. I really enjoyed this peice alot. Poetic.
Until next week!
Love it! Had considered doing a poem for mine, but it just wasn't coming to me – probably because the muse was handing all the verses over to you!
Well done!
That was beautiful – totally gathers together the other-worldly sense of immortality. And the poetry itself was fantastic!
Absolutely lovely, and so sad.
I'd read anything if it was written as beautifully as this, even a phone book. So sad and beautiful.
Thank you to all of you for the fantastic feedback. I'm glad it touched so many of you.
I guess I'm a bit late saying so, but yeah this one is absolutely beautiful. I love that it reads like a poem (is a poem?) and you hook us so powerfully with opening images like "phantom fog" (which is fun to say) and the white flowers clustered near his head.
Poignant and powerful throughout.
This was awesome.
-Nellie