The Terror

He never came out in the daytime, though

He’d always come out at night,

I’d hear his feet, pass in the street

By the gaslamp’s feeble light,

He’d peer through the frosted window glass

And I swear that he always hissed,

Whenever I opened the trap, he’d gone

A-swirl in the yellow mist.

 

We huddled under the chimney piece,

We huddled under the stair,

Whenever his steps were echoing

From here to the you-know-where,

I tried to protect my Carolyn

Who would shut her eyes and ears,

He had the power, for over an hour

To bring Carolyn to tears.

 

He’d come when the frost brought icicles

He’d come when the wind would blow,

He’d come when I left her tricycle

Outside, and covered in snow,

And then when the ice on the window ledge

Began to go crack-crack-crack,

She often hid, right under the lid

Where the firewood lay in a stack.

 

And then when the door blew open, from

A gust in the wind out there,

We’d lie, with fears unspoken

As the creaking rose up the stair,

Then Carolyn shrieked, while I couldn’t speak

For hearing her cries and moans,

As terror spread, from under the bed

And chattered through teeth and bones.

 

I swore that he wore a big black hat

With a brim that covered his eyes,

Carolyn wrote that he wore a cloak

As part of his dread disguise,

But nobody would believe us, ‘til

We heard he was coming back,

His hobnailed boots on the cobblestones

Approached, a-click and a-clack.

 

They’d slow, and stop by the outer door

Our hearts in our mouths, alas,

And then his shadow would fall right there

He’d peer through the frosted glass,

The knocker had an echoing sound

As he knocked, went rat-tat-tat,

And mother leapt to the door in a bound,

‘Dear God! It’s Uncle Jack!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Author's Note

This is my 1,000th Poem, since I began to write poetry in 1966. So 1,000 poems has taken me 48 years.

Reviews

[Barbz]

I am loving his poetry......Depth and simplicity all rolled into one......my grandchildren , likewise , appreciated his poetry as they sat on my bed last night and asked for "just one more"......don't you love positive feedback from wide-eyed children......'n Hey, what about me!!4q

[ROXANE DORSEY]

Wow this is very nice. thanks for sharing your wonderful talent.

[boygene borice]

I love the flow and the simplicity of this great poem.
It makes you to want more of it as it takes through a series of events.

[paddy d daly]

Great imagery thru the eyes of children,
the terror building up, I loved the rhyming
and the comical ending....great.

[Katrina Mckeown]

Another marvellous captivating write with brilliant use of imagery. .loved it!

[Eve]

Really gorgeously crafted.

[Corbin Driver]

It's great to hear that this is your 1,000th poem! You did an excellent job with it! I hope you continue to write more!

[Phillip J Clayton]

Nice lead in, filled with great suspense. You relayed the environment so well, for a moment I heard the clicks and clacks. Thank goodness it was only Uncle Jack!

Cheers!

[FaeryQueen]

forgot to rate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!