Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Laughing Ghosts

Weathered-gray,
semi-petrified slats,
framed the dark holes
that once beamed
with light and life.

The porch,
shattered with broken teeth
and languid tongue,
was void of speech,
but not of sound.

Ghost’s laughter
echoed in the trees,
shading the wrinkled hat
cocked to one side, that
once sat square,
and kept the rain outside.

I clicked my heels
down the hollow of its throat,
looking for evidence
of the home it’d made.
With everything torn and scattered,
and holes set to trap,
I decided to leave, and
let the ghosts have it back.


(previously published in The Sidewalk's End)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the name of your blog, Pat! Congratulations, and you can be sure I'll stop in here often.

Pat Paulk said...

Why thank you ma'am! And I yours!

Unknown said...

Pat,
This is a cool name for a blog. Somehow the idea of ghosts laughing completely upends the idea of haunting and fright. And the poem fits the idea perfectly. I liked this the best: " I clicked my heels / down the hollow of its throat," Lovely use of personification.

Pat Paulk said...

Christine thanks for stopping in. I'm just playing with this. Magnapoets is my first venture into the world of blogging. Your comments are always greatly appreciated.

eric l houck jr said...

i agree with aurora and christine . . . good choice for the blog's name . . . and i'll be stopping in often.

Nick Zegarac said...

Fun stuff, Pat. Spooky good time. Boo!

Pat Paulk said...

Thanks Nick! I always have a good time, spooked or not!~