Day-19 NaPoWriMo-2023
Prompt: Spooky poem.
An archaic image
Covered with moss
Stares starkly
At the village crossroads
Sharp-edged corners
Chipped by time
Green slimy water
In its bowels
Tells a history
Of ancient lore.
Once upon a time
The water was edible
But now,
Creatures, crawlies
Have made it their home,
Spider webs
Entwined through the wines
Tree stumps like ghostly figures
Enlarged and wounded around the pillars
An eerie wind blows from the depth
There are some serpentine crawlies
Entangled in the watery maze
Imagine going near it
When elders admonished
For even peeping in.
Adventurous kids
Always were in awe
Of this mysterious
Age-old big hole.
There is a deep fear
Hidden in its womb
The folks in the village
Whisper in the air
How an old woman
Who had dementia
Made it her deathbed
When it gets pitch dark
Her ghost weeps
When the clock strikes midnight twelve.
Villagers have also encountered
A huge cobra, coiled
At the pulley
Guarding maybe
Some ancient god!
Nobody dares to go
Near the haunted well.
But, I see it everyday,
From my bedroom window!
Participating in : NaPoWriMo-2023
What?! A huge cobra, coiled
ReplyDeleteAt the pulley
Guarding maybe
Some ancient god! The words... are you gonna be ok? Be well and safe please. Lovely writing. Blessing you.
I am finem Selma. Thank you, It is a safe place. Having reptiles around is common as I live on the western ghats, the west coast of India, And snakes are seen around frequently. There is a saying in my village that every village will have one resident snake to safeguard the place.
DeleteYour poem paints scenes of what we (as children) would've loved to explore despite all the warnings.
ReplyDeleteThe last line makes me wonder if this is all true. Is it?
It is true, Arti. The well is just a few meters away from my place. People don't go near it but cannot stop the kids from peeping in.
Delete