The Face in the Frosted Glass

The old man came in the wintertime,

The mist was cold and grey,

She thought he’d been in a distant time

But then he went away.

She only caught but a fleeting glimpse

Through the hedgerow to the street,

But felt a chill as the memory spilled

From her head down to her feet.

 

He wore a common fedora hat

And a houndstooth overcoat,

The collar was turned up high, so she

Saw neither cheek, nor throat,

But just for a moment, as he turned

And beneath the brim of his hat,

She caught a glimpse of his piercing eyes

And his eyes were dull, and black.

 

She told her brother about the man

And she tried to laugh it off,

She said it gave her a sudden fright

And she thought that he would scoff.

Her brother turned with a furrowed brow

And his face was white as sin,

‘If ever he comes to your door, you know

You never must let him in.’

 

‘What do you know about this man?’

She cried, in a sudden fit,

‘I only mentioned his passing, so

That you’d scoff, make light of it!’

A chill ran down to her fingertips

And tightness grew at her throat,

‘Be sure to lock all your windows

And the door, please draw the bolt.’

 

He stood there facing the window, and

He stared long out at the lawn,

No matter how much she pressed him, he

Was firm, would not be drawn.

‘There’s no point letting the nightmares in

That will make you feel aghast,

The man you’ve seen is a walking sin

That we left behind in the past.’

 

She’d always trusted her brother John

Who was older, solemn, grey,

He’d always tried to protect her from

What hurtful people say,

Their mother had died, with her a child

While he was just sixteen,

They’d moved away to the countryside,

Had avoided kith and kin.

 

But John was working away at night

So it left her on her own,

Huddling over the fireplace

In their quaint and rustic home.

The mist swirled over the window panes

When she saw the face peer in,

And tap at last on the frosted glass

As he called out, ‘Carolyn!’

 

‘Carolyn, won’t you hear me now

I have such a tale to tell,’

She stared back into the dull black eyes

Of a soul who’d been through hell.

She shook her head and she bit her hand

And she waved the man away,

‘I need to talk to you, Carolyn,

Please hear what I have to say.’

 

She edged on up to the window

And she whispered, ‘Please to go!

You know that you have me terrified

But for what, I just don’t know.’

‘They put me away for twenty years,

In jail, for killing my wife,

That woman you called your Momma, girl,

They sent me down for life!’

 

Carolyn shrieked, and held her ears

From the face in the frosted pane,

And distant memories flooded back

From her childhood, once again,

She saw them dragging her father off

But they never brought him home,

And John had gone to the funeral

Of their mother, all alone.

 

‘They said I poisoned your mother,’ cried

The voice through the frosted glass,

‘I swear, my girl, that it wasn’t me

But your brother John, alas.

I turned my back when your brother poured

That powder into her tea…’

Then Carolyn sobbed, and choked, and said,

‘Please God. No! That was me!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[alf]

Hi David. Oh the mind!!! What it can do to a person and how those thoughts come back to haunt!!! I have decided you must be one of the kindest people on this earth, for your evil spills in poems and give people goosebumps as they read chilling tales!!! Loved this, and please, keep them coming!! alf

[Valentine]

What a thing to have to remember. Being the one that as a child you did something that took your mother away forever. A sad ending this time, and a shocker. Valentine

[Chirag Kumar]

A descriptive piece, yet excellent flow which kept me glued to your work. Well written :)

[Devanshu Rajput]

This poem is certainly a more lengthy than others of yours. Also, it has a very distinguished tale of the that man.

Carolyn's father looked more like Ben Gunn from Treasure Island. lol

A very dark story, and again a very eye widening kicker at the end. I loved it.

I wonder, what could have been the reason that she killed her father. Just wondered. Sorry for sounding lunatic.

Take care,
Devanshu

[sereenaoutloud]

oh what a story you weaved in his write that had me sitting on the edge of my seat! The man sounded so very creepy in your description ..what a twist at the end that i did not see coming!! Brilliant write :)

[Lyndy]

Oh wow, I really enjoyed this poem. It's a nice one! Well done.

[A. B. Frederique]

Well written. Fluid and consistent rhyme scheme, it reads well and is easy to follow along with. A good story too; the dark, mysterious tone builds arousal and suspense, and the twist in the last stanza is not only a pleasant surprise, but also answers the questions which the reader might have, closure to the story which makes a nice ending (which is not easy to do in rhyming-poetry stories). Depth and engagement is built by descriptive events and character development, again, difficult to do when rhyming. It is a little dense at first, but with enough attention devoted, proves to be a fairly easily tracked story. More variation in literary devices would be nice, but this is compensated for with copious imagery. Solid work, and fun to read. What happens next??

[Marie]

This was ertainly a shock...I never expected that ending. No wonder Carolyn's brother didn't want her to have anything to do with that man. He probably knew what she'd done.

One thing:
In the second verse, you mention that she caught a glimpse of his piercing eyes. In the next line you say they were dull. I don't think they can be both

[Barbz]

This is one Teriffic piece of work. It held me from the jump......as in a book you pick up and can't put down to the very end! Every line held me as you condensed this tale into an intriguing, perfect example of your genius......Barbz

[Dark Empress]

OH I love this one and it definitely ended unlike I expected

[Tomás Ó C..]

Brilliant twist at the end. Never saw it coming!!!