Long Poems About Risk
#risk
Lozzamus
Poem Published
18th Dec 2022 10:10am
18th Dec 2022 10:10am
Silent, First Evening - The Concert
Two Years Earlier, Gavin
Philippa and I shared a taxi with Dawn and one of the other guys, Dawn quiet during the ride, giving the impression that she knew about the drinking binge in my room. Whatever. In the car park, we paid a quarter of the fair each, got out and walked along the promenade to the Grand Theatre, passing a group of hoodies gathered by the railings with cigarettes and cans of cider. They stared as we passed, giggled. The walkway was slippery, the sky a gigantic bruise, all purple, black, yellow and storm-like. Waves rolled in the background. The wind was strong,...
Philippa and I shared a taxi with Dawn and one of the other guys, Dawn quiet during the ride, giving the impression that she knew about the drinking binge in my room. Whatever. In the car park, we paid a quarter of the fair each, got out and walked along the promenade to the Grand Theatre, passing a group of hoodies gathered by the railings with cigarettes and cans of cider. They stared as we passed, giggled. The walkway was slippery, the sky a gigantic bruise, all purple, black, yellow and storm-like. Waves rolled in the background. The wind was strong,...
#relationships
#music
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
235 reads
4 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
11th Dec 2022 10:08am
11th Dec 2022 10:08am
Silent, First Evening
Two Years Earlier, Gavin
The rain started outside after dinner, big heavy drops warning of thunder. I headed to my room to slip on some smarter clothes. Had a shave and prepped back my hair with gel. Gazed at myself in the mirror. Nice one. Yes!
Tapping at my door. Philippa with a bottle of vodka, Russian. Good because it wouldn't smell on the breath. 'Come in. Sorry about the mess.’
Once we were seated, I said, 'All this stuff with the Harlesden family and the fire. You've got something planned, right?’
Philippa nodded. ‘I'm here on a...
The rain started outside after dinner, big heavy drops warning of thunder. I headed to my room to slip on some smarter clothes. Had a shave and prepped back my hair with gel. Gazed at myself in the mirror. Nice one. Yes!
Tapping at my door. Philippa with a bottle of vodka, Russian. Good because it wouldn't smell on the breath. 'Come in. Sorry about the mess.’
Once we were seated, I said, 'All this stuff with the Harlesden family and the fire. You've got something planned, right?’
Philippa nodded. ‘I'm here on a...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
199 reads
4 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
29th Nov 2022 1:52pm
29th Nov 2022 1:52pm
Silent, A Ghost From The Past
Two Years Earlier, Lucy
She took a step back, struggling to control her breathing. Arthur Harlesden had arrived, rosy apple cheeks and specs. Another vague figure from her childhood, always on the outskirts. He reassembled Dad. Older, though. Much older, and taller. Eerie. Almost as if Dad had come back.
The Ogre (Agnes) and Arthur Harlesden, both together in the same room. No way could this be happening. Apparently, they hadn't spoken since the fire. They never got on.
It was time to go over to the staff table. Her hands shook when she served the elderly...
She took a step back, struggling to control her breathing. Arthur Harlesden had arrived, rosy apple cheeks and specs. Another vague figure from her childhood, always on the outskirts. He reassembled Dad. Older, though. Much older, and taller. Eerie. Almost as if Dad had come back.
The Ogre (Agnes) and Arthur Harlesden, both together in the same room. No way could this be happening. Apparently, they hadn't spoken since the fire. They never got on.
It was time to go over to the staff table. Her hands shook when she served the elderly...
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
277 reads
0 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
23rd Nov 2022 7:16pm
23rd Nov 2022 7:16pm
Silent - Part 20: Arthur Harlesden
Two Years Earlier, Gavin
Weird atmosphere everywhere. I'd already seen Agnes Harlesden in passing. I thought she looked like Princess Anne, an older version, with a walking stick, hair piled high in a knot. Just my opinion, though.
Dinner took place in another formal room, all polished flooring and high ceilings, with steps leading down to the outside patio and the tiered gardens beyond with their statues and water fountains. I followed Philippa to one end of a long table with a white tablecloth. The afternoon was sticky and close, with dark grey-black clouds pinched...
Weird atmosphere everywhere. I'd already seen Agnes Harlesden in passing. I thought she looked like Princess Anne, an older version, with a walking stick, hair piled high in a knot. Just my opinion, though.
Dinner took place in another formal room, all polished flooring and high ceilings, with steps leading down to the outside patio and the tiered gardens beyond with their statues and water fountains. I followed Philippa to one end of a long table with a white tablecloth. The afternoon was sticky and close, with dark grey-black clouds pinched...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
221 reads
2 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
17th Nov 2022 7:50pm
17th Nov 2022 7:50pm
Silent - Part 19: The Man At The Fire
Saturday, May 2019, Lucy:
The torch lamp casts a sickly glow in the darkened room. She tenses. Recoils, picks up again on a hidden threat. Who is this man? Someone very disturbed. Physically strong. Able to lift Gavin from a van, bring him in and carry him down an unlit corridor while holding a torch.
'What's the matter, Lucy?' the Angel of Mercy says.
She doesn't answer. Pretends to be half-asleep.
'I asked you a question, Lucy. Aren't you well?'
'Tired,' she mumbles. 'Haven't eaten.’
'You've only been here a day....
The torch lamp casts a sickly glow in the darkened room. She tenses. Recoils, picks up again on a hidden threat. Who is this man? Someone very disturbed. Physically strong. Able to lift Gavin from a van, bring him in and carry him down an unlit corridor while holding a torch.
'What's the matter, Lucy?' the Angel of Mercy says.
She doesn't answer. Pretends to be half-asleep.
'I asked you a question, Lucy. Aren't you well?'
'Tired,' she mumbles. 'Haven't eaten.’
'You've only been here a day....
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
201 reads
0 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
10th Nov 2022 7:07pm
10th Nov 2022 7:07pm
Silent - Part 18: No Way Out
Gavin, Saturday May 2019:
In captivity, in this damp place, drugged up from the chloroform, glimpsing around in the dark to see if there's a way of escaping. There isn't, apart from physically attacking the Angel of Mercy - and to do that, I would need free legs and arms. He's tied them.
I don't know where he's gone. I've tried calling out to Lucy in the next room, my voice tiny in this vast space. But she hasn't heard me.
Or, maybe, she's heard me but chosen not to answer. Our relationship is complicated. Always has been.
Jace and I should...
In captivity, in this damp place, drugged up from the chloroform, glimpsing around in the dark to see if there's a way of escaping. There isn't, apart from physically attacking the Angel of Mercy - and to do that, I would need free legs and arms. He's tied them.
I don't know where he's gone. I've tried calling out to Lucy in the next room, my voice tiny in this vast space. But she hasn't heard me.
Or, maybe, she's heard me but chosen not to answer. Our relationship is complicated. Always has been.
Jace and I should...
#relationships
#memories
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
211 reads
2 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
5th Nov 2022 8:11pm
5th Nov 2022 8:11pm
Silent - Part 17: Agnes
Two Years Earlier, Lucy:
She'd heard the news about Agnes Harlesden. From what she'd picked up, Agnes had returned unannounced, taking the rest of the staff by surprise.
But she alone knew the real reason for Agnes Harlesden's return. And the reason for the intrusion in her room earlier. Someone in the town must have recognised her and contacted Agnes, who'd obviously decided to fly back. And Agnes had gone through her bag searching for information.
Why else would Agnes have returned?
Agnes Harlesden in her room, searching in her personal...
She'd heard the news about Agnes Harlesden. From what she'd picked up, Agnes had returned unannounced, taking the rest of the staff by surprise.
But she alone knew the real reason for Agnes Harlesden's return. And the reason for the intrusion in her room earlier. Someone in the town must have recognised her and contacted Agnes, who'd obviously decided to fly back. And Agnes had gone through her bag searching for information.
Why else would Agnes have returned?
Agnes Harlesden in her room, searching in her personal...
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
334 reads
4 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
4th Nov 2022 8:50pm
4th Nov 2022 8:50pm
Silent - Part 16: A Strange Place
Two Years Earlier, Gavin
'So this was really a school?' I was standing in a grand entrance hallway. To my left, leather sofas surrounded a glass coffee table and fake fireplace, and there was a unusual smell too, like wild flowers.
'A long time ago, yes,' Veronica said, glaring at a computer screen. 'Dinner will be served in the student dining room at quarter to six. There's an opening performance at the Grand Theatre. Eight o'clock this evening. If you wish to share a taxi there, please put your name on the list.'
I wrote down my name and saw that Philippa...
'So this was really a school?' I was standing in a grand entrance hallway. To my left, leather sofas surrounded a glass coffee table and fake fireplace, and there was a unusual smell too, like wild flowers.
'A long time ago, yes,' Veronica said, glaring at a computer screen. 'Dinner will be served in the student dining room at quarter to six. There's an opening performance at the Grand Theatre. Eight o'clock this evening. If you wish to share a taxi there, please put your name on the list.'
I wrote down my name and saw that Philippa...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
266 reads
4 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
1st Nov 2022 8:01pm
1st Nov 2022 8:01pm
Silent - Part 15: The International Summer School
Two Years Earlier: Gavin
Philippa. Rich, posh accent, dressed all in black, long matching hair, loads of jewellery. I liked her straightaway. Thought she was seriously gorgeous. On our first afternoon in town, we spent a while watching the two guys in army clothes, Jace and Steve, climbing the pylon-structure pier before searching around for a taxi.
'Lyme House used to be a Prep School for child prodigies run by Agnes Harlesden,' Philippa said during the ride. She spoke in an all-very-important voice, similar to One mustn't do that, must one? 'But someone set it...
Philippa. Rich, posh accent, dressed all in black, long matching hair, loads of jewellery. I liked her straightaway. Thought she was seriously gorgeous. On our first afternoon in town, we spent a while watching the two guys in army clothes, Jace and Steve, climbing the pylon-structure pier before searching around for a taxi.
'Lyme House used to be a Prep School for child prodigies run by Agnes Harlesden,' Philippa said during the ride. She spoke in an all-very-important voice, similar to One mustn't do that, must one? 'But someone set it...
#mystery
#tragedy
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
251 reads
2 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
26th Oct 2022 7:17pm
26th Oct 2022 7:17pm
Silent - Part 14: Lucy
Two Years Earlier, Lucy
Can't stop thinking about you, Ash had texted.
In the field, she lit another cigarette. Her shift would begin in about twenty minutes and she wasn't looking forward to it. Serving a three course meal to a bunch of music students, the type that had ignored her when she'd been a pupil at the former Prep School ten years ago. Dad had taught violin and viola at the school, but she hadn't played an instrument and she'd never fitted in or made friends.
An outsider. Lonely, then and now. She longed for Ash and Maxine. And Bruce, Ash's dog,...
Can't stop thinking about you, Ash had texted.
In the field, she lit another cigarette. Her shift would begin in about twenty minutes and she wasn't looking forward to it. Serving a three course meal to a bunch of music students, the type that had ignored her when she'd been a pupil at the former Prep School ten years ago. Dad had taught violin and viola at the school, but she hadn't played an instrument and she'd never fitted in or made friends.
An outsider. Lonely, then and now. She longed for Ash and Maxine. And Bruce, Ash's dog,...
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
283 reads
0 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
20th Oct 2022 7:33pm
20th Oct 2022 7:33pm
Silent - Part 13: Philippa
Two Years Earlier, Gavin
So how did I first come to Lyme House? It's simple, really. Believe it or not, I was a child prodigy. My family were poor, so all my piano tuition came free. Have you heard of the expression:"be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? That's what happened.
Throughout my childhood I wanted to be a famous concert pianist. Then, at the age of eleven, I got discovered. I was like a cherub, though. Innocent. And lonely. The journey to stardom isolated me from others my age. They saw me as a type of freak. In time, I rebelled....
So how did I first come to Lyme House? It's simple, really. Believe it or not, I was a child prodigy. My family were poor, so all my piano tuition came free. Have you heard of the expression:"be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? That's what happened.
Throughout my childhood I wanted to be a famous concert pianist. Then, at the age of eleven, I got discovered. I was like a cherub, though. Innocent. And lonely. The journey to stardom isolated me from others my age. They saw me as a type of freak. In time, I rebelled....
#mystery
#obsession
#risk
303 reads
0 Comments
Lozzamus
Poem Published
16th Oct 2022 4:28pm
16th Oct 2022 4:28pm
Silent - Part 12: Seperated By The Dark
Gavin, Saturday, May 2019
I haven't a clue where I am at first. It's like I've just woken from a general anaesthetic, totally confused and groggy while monsters in corners watch from unseen eyes.
Monsters. Big monsters. Small ones. Some people are scared of ghosts. I'm scared of monsters. When I was a kid, monsters haunted my dreams. They still do sometimes.
The details come back to me, bit by bit.
Lucy. Jace. Steve.
A bloke even crazier than Steve.
Tied up in some remote ruins with the patter of water drops nearby....
I haven't a clue where I am at first. It's like I've just woken from a general anaesthetic, totally confused and groggy while monsters in corners watch from unseen eyes.
Monsters. Big monsters. Small ones. Some people are scared of ghosts. I'm scared of monsters. When I was a kid, monsters haunted my dreams. They still do sometimes.
The details come back to me, bit by bit.
Lucy. Jace. Steve.
A bloke even crazier than Steve.
Tied up in some remote ruins with the patter of water drops nearby....
#relationships
#mystery
#obsession #risk
#obsession #risk
277 reads
4 Comments
DU Poetry : Long Poems About Risk
