The Blacksmith's Hammer

The birds are twittering in the trees

That stand outside my door,

There’s only a pale grey dawning light

‘Til the sun comes up once more,

The clouds are scudding across the sky

In an early sign of rain,

While the one I love went out last night

And never came back again.

 

She said she’d only be gone an hour

That she had to see the priest,

Her husband’s funeral’s coming up

And she owes him that, at least,

She went to purchase a single plot

So she took my leather purse,

To see what coffins the maker’s got

And arrange a horse-drawn hearse.

 

She only married a year ago

And her heart is fit to break,

She cried all night when she told me how

It was all a huge mistake,

‘I should have married for love,’ she said,

‘Then I would have married you,

But I let his money go to my head,

So what is a girl to do?’

 

We talked and talked through the early hours,

We talked and talked for a week,

She came unbid to my poster bed

Lay naked under the sheet,

She said she never had tasted love

As sweet as the love I gave,

But I was thinking her husband dead

And soon to go to his grave.

 

‘You really shouldn’t be seen with me

‘Til he’s safely in the ground,

It wouldn’t be right, the folks would say,’

But Elizabeth just frowned.

‘A love like this could never be wrong,

Let the gossip-mongers sneer,

I haven’t felt so much love as this

For the best part of a year.’

 

I said, ‘It must have been terrible

To be losing him so young,’

And caught a glimpse of a glistening tear

As she put her make-up on,

‘It goes to show how life can go

In the twinkling of an eye,’

She held my hands, gazed into my eyes,

And let out a heartfelt sigh.

 

She came back late in the afternoon

With a bundle of receipts,

‘It’s all arranged, we can get engaged

In a month from Tuesday week.

I told him that you had slept with me

And you should have heard him roar,

You’d better wait in the hallway while

He’s beating down your door!’

 

My jaw had dropped and my face was white

As I tried to take it in,

‘I thought you told me that he was dead,

Before we indulged in sin!’

‘He will be soon if you stand and wait

And you want me in your bed,

I borrowed the blacksmith’s hammer for you

To hit him across the head!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Anand Sehgal]

"‘Til the sun comes up once more,
The clouds are scudding across the sky
In an early sign of rain,"

Marvelous nature imagery :)

"You really shouldn’t be seen with me
‘Til he’s safely in the ground,
It wouldn’t be right, the folks would say,’"

A sense of morality a conscience portrayed very nicely.

"‘I thought you told me that he was dead,
Before we indulged in sin!’
‘He will be soon if you stand and wait
And you want me in your bed,
I borrowed the blacksmith’s hammer for you
To hit him across the head!’"
the guilty Human conscience .

Brilliant thoughts . Liked it

[Blue Ivory]

Man that was quite the plot twist! This woman is a good actress. But honestly, once we've set our eyes on something...we're getting it!

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Hmmm ... sounds like the lass is playing both men for fools. She married for money then entices the other to kill her husband, likely, so she can inherit the money. She sounds like a gold digger to me.

Very nice.

[TL Boehm]

OH my goodness. Never saw that coming! No good sin goes unpunished does it.

[Keith]

Another great one thank you David. As always a colorful plot with believable characters, all in all superb. Love that last stanza.

[Raya]

Well, the woman was different than most lol. I thought the poem was wonderful.

[maxsteel]

intriguing story! and wonderful piece of poetry!

[Tom]

A great poem telling a great story and a marvelous twist to finish off !

Splendid indeed !

[Enid Blake]

Poor guy, sounds like a black widow to me! Things and people aren't always what they seem...

[Marie]

What a clever girl...oney and sweet love as well...