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

[C. Rose]

Wow, 1000. That's hard to wrap my head around.
This piece is brilliant at building and sustaining the anxiety.
You had me hooked by "gaslamp's feeble"

[angelina]

The imagery is astounding and the onomatopoeia adds life into the poem.
When I first read it with out reading the end yet, it felt like you were describing death or some kind of monster. Then when the last line was read, it was with understanding that the poem was written as a tribute to how a child perceives the world. Every little detail described by the boy and shared with Carolyn was a small fear enhanced by actions that Uncle Jack did with the bad weather. These actions of Uncle Jack were not explained and so just enabled the children to fear even more.
Funny enough, my dad was the Uncle Jack of the family.
It was the gaunt cheeks and him not speaking much that scared my cousins.
It was a very lovely read. Congratulations by the way! Dedication to poetry is a wonderful thing!

[Penny]

Gracious.. 1000th poem! How can one go wrong after so much practice. Seriously sir, from the language you used to rhyming to atmoshere to the words used to describe sound, there's nothing one can dislike about this piece. End is just piece. Truly entertaining masterpiece. Thanks for sharing Tate.

[Einstein Noodle]

congrats on the 1000th!! i cant imagine .. thoroughly enjoyed reading your poem .. the language is mood setting and rich .. dragged through all kinds of horror and so relieved that alas it is only Jack .. but for my old bones Jack is quite enough .. unless he brings his other brother Jack D along with .. thank you Tate for guiding me hither .. a wonderful read .. nice one!
E.

[a]

I know I'm reading a good story when at the end, I feel like I watched a movie instead.

[Frozen Eyes]

On your 1000th poem heartfull congratulations knock on the door, as it goes rat-tat-tat.
Love the music you create with words. Thank You Tate for sending the RR, Thank you David for this wonderful piece :)

[LadyNaida]

Wow, I love this poem. Love it, I think we all had an uncle Jack that scared us. Lol
Nice read!

[Oyindamola Shoola]

Lovely poem..... I love the suspense... It carried me along well... Congratulations on your 1000th poem...I sure can't wait to get there.... Very inspiring write

[Bright Ocean Star]

David Lewis Paget, you are a talented poet. I love this one. It is frightening, suspenseful, descriptive, and just plain fun to read. You have great rhythm, meter, and story-telling skills. Thank you, sincerely, for sending this one my way. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to read your work. Thanks again. 100/100

[Aziz Luther]

Great for a 1,000th poem. I like the imagery and the layout of the story. Happy 1,000th. Now on to 2000. (: