This is Where Reason Stops!

This is Where Reason Stops!

A Poem by David Lewis Paget

Giselle went down to the Supermart

For milk, and a loaf of bread,

‘Don’t be too long,’ said her husband, Tom,

‘It looks like rain ahead.’

The sky was dark and the clouds were grey

And a breeze was gusting the trees,

As she walked a block to the corner shop

The road was covered in leaves.

 

She tarried a while at the Mercers,

Checked the price on a bolt of silk,

Picked up a colourful tie-dyed scarf

Before collecting the milk.

She noticed the aisles were empty when

She got around to the bread,

The only girl at the checkout said:

‘It looks like a storm ahead.’

 

The thunder came rumbling over the shop

And the rain began to pour,

Giselle had nothing to keep her dry

So stood by the sliding door,

She read the messages on the board

For Sale, to give or swaps,

But one stood out like a weeping sore,

‘This is where reason stops!’

 

‘This is where reason stops,’ it said

In an ugly, spidery scrawl,

The damp had made the lettering run

And the ink dripped down the wall.

Guiselle had shivered and stepped aside

As she noticed the second line,

‘You’ll never be able to find your way

When caught in the tangle of time.’

 

The lightning flashed and it lit the store

But nobody else was there,

Not even the only checkout girl,

She’d gone, but heaven knew where.

Giselle dashed out to a clearing sky

Where the rain had ceased to pour,

She checked the time, was surprised to find

She’d been gone, two hours or more.

 

Tom would be more than mad, she thought

As she hurried along the way,

She’d never been able to keep good time,

For it seemed to slip away.

She never had kept her appointments

And Tom had been known to yell:

‘You’d keep the Devil himself in thrall

If you went to Hell, Giselle!’

 

The sun was dipping beneath the earth

And leaving a twilight glow,

She noticed that all the leaves had gone

That were there, a while ago,

There were fences now she’d never seen

And some gardens overgrown,

And on the block where her house had been

She was stood there, all alone.

 

There wasn’t a house, there wasn’t a brick,

Just bushes and bundles of weeds,

And trees, she turned for a second look,

She’d planted them all from seeds.

She thought that she must have lost her way

And ran to the corner to check,

The sign, as always, said ‘Shepherds Lane’

And a chill ran down from her neck.

 

She knocked on the screen of the house next door

And her neighbour, Ted, came out,

He cried, ‘Good God! You must be a ghost,’

And called his wife with a shout.

‘Where is my husband Tom,’ she said,

‘And where is my lovely home?’

‘Your Tom’s been dead for a dozen years

Since you left him here on his own!’

 

‘The house burnt down and they cleared the block

When they found him dead inside,

It was just a year since you took off

And he said that his heart had died.’

‘But I’ve only been two hours,’ she said,

‘I’ve just come back from the shops;

I should have known there was something wrong,

This is where reason stops!’

 

David Lewis Paget

© 2014 David Lewis Paget


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Reviews

Phenomenal write as always. Keep me on my feet eager to find out what was going to happen next in this somewhat twisted tale.

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Oh! a nice chilling tale (this is what I meant, what gets me)... I am all about suspense and tales that ruffle the hair on the back of my neck.. great job with this one, David!

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

I know a few women who go into stores and lose track of time. I'm surprised they didn't find themselves in the same time warp! Good story.

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Another powerful story. . .

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

WOW
A Very unreasonable Poem I'd say,
but this is where reason stops :-)

Awesome !

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

This knocked me right off of my feet. Absolutely amazing!!

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

I have seen weeping sores before I can tell you they definitely stand out.

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

It sent shiver down my spine when I realized the poem could be written from Giselle's perspective. When reasons stops, people call it madness but for the person going through it, it could be perfectly normal.

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

A very tormented piece really that has a gauge on realistic timing and evenness, one can get lost in such pieces, well done, good read.

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

A very haunting and entertaining tale.

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.


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653 Views
11 Reviews
Rating
Shelved in 2 Libraries
Added on April 7, 2014
Last Updated on April 7, 2014
Tags: shops, thunder, rain, board

Author

David Lewis Paget
David Lewis Paget

Moonta, South Australia, Australia



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