deepundergroundpoetry.com
Reading Victorian ghost stories
Reading Victorian ghost stories
can sometimes leave you wondering,
when authors say that what she said
when haunting yonder glen
cannot be written down ‘til dead,
because it be wrought with unpleasantries
unfit for ears that need guiding.
But from the vantage point of “modern day”
I cannot really say if what D Dinglet said,
as Parson spoke to her (the upright Cornishman
misled, perhaps, by some prudish morality)
was truly horrible - that she was murdered, say,
or forced upon by him she claims wronged her.
Or if she simply saw the old man play
a game of chance on Sabbath day.
can sometimes leave you wondering,
when authors say that what she said
when haunting yonder glen
cannot be written down ‘til dead,
because it be wrought with unpleasantries
unfit for ears that need guiding.
But from the vantage point of “modern day”
I cannot really say if what D Dinglet said,
as Parson spoke to her (the upright Cornishman
misled, perhaps, by some prudish morality)
was truly horrible - that she was murdered, say,
or forced upon by him she claims wronged her.
Or if she simply saw the old man play
a game of chance on Sabbath day.
Published Today
Author's Note
Names and plot of the story discussed taken from “The Botathen Ghost” by RS Hawker (1803 to 1875). An eccentric parish priest and poet, he was said to have excommunicated his own cat for mousing on a Sunday.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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Today 6:15am
Today 11:56am
I love those old ghost stories! That last line, second I've read today, that just nails that poem shut.
