The Fortune Teller

He entered the Fortune Teller’s tent

When nobody was around,

He didn’t want to be seen in there

By the friends that would put him down,

The woman that sat there, heavily veiled

With her hands on a crystal ball,

Said: ‘Cross my palm with silver, sir,

The crystal reveals it all!’

 

He sat, but nervously sitting there

His mind had become a blank,

All of the questions he’d thought before

Had gone, and his spirits sank.

‘I see a lot of confusion here

The crystal echoes your mind,

What was the thing that you wanted most

Of the things that you sought to find?’

 

He dredged in the recess of his soul,

Just what did he really lack?

His life had been more than successful

There was nothing that he’d take back,

But he felt an awful ache just then

From the pit of his lonely heart,

‘I still haven’t found a woman to love,

So that will do, for a start!’

 

She waved her hands on the crystal ball

And he noticed the twisting shapes,

Shadows of past liaisons that

Had passed through his garden gates.

‘Perhaps you treat them unfairly

I see tears here by the score,

The women that you rejected, what

On earth were you looking for?’

 

‘I was looking for love,’ he stammered out,

He could see she wasn’t convinced,

‘Love is the one thing left behind

That you haven’t revisited since.’

And he thought of June, of Carolyn

And the love that shone from their eyes,

But he’d been so very much younger then

He confessed, and not very wise!

 

‘They were only poor young village girls,

I’d set my heart on a dream,

I wanted a lady of fashion then

A Duchess, even a Queen!’

‘Do you think that pearls and coronets

Are the signs of a loving heart?

You’d find the cost of upkeeping them

Are the things that set you apart.’

 

‘There was a girl,’ he began again

That I could have loved with my life,’

He stopped and thought about Carolyn,

‘I should have made her my wife!’

‘I see her, here in the crystal ball

Surrounded by all of your lies,

She loved you once in the wherewithal

But you turned, and cast her aside.’

 

‘Do you think she’d give me a second chance

If I knocked at the girl’s front door,

Would she put out the welcome mat for me,

Or wish that I’d never been born?

I must admit I deserve it, I

Have lived my life like a fool,

The dreams I had were beyond me, I

Regret I was ever so cruel!’

 

‘The crystal sees you approach her door,

You’re getting down on your knees,

It shows you grovelling on the floor

In a vain attempt to please.’

‘I’ll do it! She may forgive me then…’

And he left the tent in a spin,

While the Fortune Teller took off her veil

And smiled, did Carolyn!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Peter H]

wow , this was a simply amazing narrative poem ,you caught me from the first line , as usual you're rhyme scheme is just impeccable , it just rivets the reader inside your poems i love the way you write , your aptitude to narrative poetry is nothing short of amazing you sir are a legend

[Lena M. P.]

Nice twist of fate. To be shown the folly of our ways by the ones we shunned and hurt the most. But to still be loved and forgiven if we see the rror of our ways is a true blessing.

[David Scott]

Thank you for sharing this peice. How many times have we felt like we needed to know our futune? How many times would we even listen? I like the playful introspection here. It is easier to take and does not feel so accusing, but gets the point across. Way to go Carolyn too! ha
Be Well

[Weezie76]

Wonderful!!!!!!!!

[Revery]

I appreciate the whit and bite of your stories. They have depth and texture. They say the deepest lessons in life can't be just told with words but need stories to be conveyed and learned at the level of the heart. Fools will only know foolishness. Does there come a point in our lives where we stop pursuing and learn the deep value in simple contentment. Excellent write Sir.

[Distant horizons]

A perfect example of how a story should be told. Excellent.

[Valentine]

David, this one hits a spark of a real life setting..So many people mess up their life and then try to go backwards to find out where they might have found happiness..Love and happiness are gifts that we can either refuse or accept with a loving and joyful heart..I really liked this one..It is going in my favorites..love and God bless Lyn and You..Kathie

[Mic]

Such a fun twist. Seems old Carolyn will finally collect a debt she feels she's owed.

Am always amazed at how quickly you move a story along, with never a wasted line.

Excellence as always, Mr. Paget. Such imagination!

[Andrew N. Farrens]

damn......
‘There was a girl,’ he began again
That I could have loved with my life,’
He stopped and thought about Carolyn,
‘I should have made her my wife!’
‘I see her, here in the crystal ball
Surrounded by all of your lies,
She loved you once in the wherewithal
But you turned, and cast her aside.’

This is good stuff. It involves the reader and speeds him along these potent lines of pure poetry......SELAH.
Thank-you for sharing it with me.
ANF

100/100

[Tate Morgan]

Oh such blind justice tro us all.I have to say like most I wasted a bit of my youth.I too went through that door and came out the other side singed.it has to be human nature .nature seems to want to make sure we cannot deny those interests of youth.i suppose it is the way it makes sure we survive.But survival is not love .And so we think on it long and hard when we are old and grey.I had a girl at 23 that i thought was the most beautiful ever,however the other men would never let her alone.And she liked the attention So to head off the inevitable i let her go saying"you are just too much woman for any one man lol.She had no children.I met her again at 40 alone her looks had faded and she had lost her boyfriend to a younger woman.She was tortured.I felt for her .I warned her at 23 that if she didnt invest in family she would end up alone at midpoint and so prophetically she had.I thank the powers that be that i didnt suffer the same fate.

[Marie]

Oh that's clevr! I had a hunch the fortune teller might turn out to be Carolyn...and I believe she's not done with this man...after he grovels enough...