The Shadow Makers

He only appears in the pouring rain

When all the gutters are clogged,

I asked if anyone knew his name

They said, but my ears were blocked.

There wasn’t a thing you could hear out there

For the water, bubbling through,

The rain’s refrain in a noisy drain,

The thunder and lightning too.

 

You’d see his shadow on distant walls

Thrown there by a gaslight flare,

And catch the shape of his stovepipe hat

Flitting both here and there,

They say he’s waiting for dollymops

Just as they’re starting to run,

As night is chasing the day away

And rain’s blotting out the sun.

 

Then rumour has it, the Ripper’s back

We’re waiting for blood and gore,

We’re tense, awaiting the first attack,

For that’s what the Ripper’s for.

They say he chews on his victim’s bones

Then eats their liver and all,

The streets will fill with their awful groans

As blood will spatter a wall.

 

And then the sound of a horses hooves

Pulling a Landau coach,

Its wheels a-rattle on cobblestones

Just as he cuts their throats,

Perhaps he’ll lure them to take a ride

In that black, square box on wheels,

Then all that slashing goes on inside,

God knows how a razor feels.

 

We sit and muse in the Hemlock Inn

A dollymop on our laps,

And feed the terror they feel within

Filling in most of the gaps.

They turn to us for protection then

So we gain their favours cheap,

And keep on telling those same old tales

Til the bawds curl up, and weep.

 

Whenever the fog and the mist are thick

And the lamplight’s just a glow,

We make our way to the Hemlock Inn

Where the skirts are raised, you know,

Then say his shadow’s been seen again

Just to make the bawds all shriek,

‘He’s getting ready to pounce, and then…’

He’ll be there again, next week.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

Shades of Jack the Ripper.....looking creepy in his TopHat and Cape, waiting to slash and mutilate the Dollymops which he seemed to make his victims. The prostitutes, who know their fate look for the menfolk for protection in turn giving them their favors cheap. .....and they all return to the Hemlock Inn...where they find the favors and fears, hoping that the lamp lights glow won't make that shape appear!! I didn't expect anything this creepy, but I must admit, I really enjoy all your works....Barbz

[A Soap Mess Stories]

I love how you tie history into your poetry. It makes history more enjoyable. Interesting read David.

[andrew mitchell]

I love poems of this period with gaslights, cobblestone streets, fog, mystery and fearsome Jack! An excellent piece and the title to me is brilliant The Shadow Makers! sounds creepy in itself. Love it

[R Smith]

scary guy running around your neighbourhood David, a touch of Jack i guess, you turned in a creepy tale of class and quality as always, i really love your ghostly horrors they could all be novels i think :)

[Frozen Eyes]

Creepy one.. I'm imagining how'd the razor feel :)

[Marie]

I know Jack the Ripper killed prostitutes, and I know how he killed them. No wonder the night ladies are frightened...cruel to tell them such stories...

[Valentine]

Now this guy is really sneaky. Bringing up Jack the Ripper to scare the girls so he can get his fill of them cheap. He visits the pub once a week so that probably is as often as the SHADOW appears. Sneaky idea for a write. Valentine

[Stephen Scaggs]

The form of your poetry is nice. In fact, while I was reading, I could hear it to the tune of a melody. I would definitely say this poem is morbid (but not necessarily bad). I love that it takes you on a journey.