Bone Reef

She lived in a cottage, made with bones

Her garden, ringed by teeth,

All from the shipwrecked sailors floating

In from the hidden reef,

You couldn’t see when the tide was high

But the rocks lay down, and tore,

Down where the tide swept in the keels

That had sailed too close to shore.

The bodies were floating in for days

When the storm would calm, abate,

Bloodied and torn, their sailor ways

Were left to unfeeling fate,

The crows would gather and crowd the beach

As they ripped each corpse to shreds,

Tearing the flesh regardless, whether

The man was alive, or dead.

The beach turned into a boneyard, under

A blue and perfect sky,

With nobody willing to ask it,

The obvious question, ‘Why?’

But she in the boneyard cottage knew

When she harvested the beach,

For every ship, as her cottage grew

Left the bones, so white and bleached.

And there on the hearth of the kitchen lay

A skull that had been her own,

The one true love of her darling years

Who had promised to build their home,

He denied her plea and had gone to sea,

Was caught in a sudden storm,

Came rolling over the reef one day

With blood on his uniform.

And now, whenever a distant sail

Appears from near or far,

She runs on out to the bluff and screams

To God, ‘Wherever you are.’

She summons up from the depths a storm

With wind and a blinding rain,

And giant rollers that head for shore

That carry her lover’s pain.

It’s then that the skull on the hearth lights up,

A glow from its empty eyes,

And then a terrible screaming from

A mouth, that had once been sighs,

She knows he wants her to save the ship

She’s luring onto the rocks,

But whispers a curse at the fatal rip

‘On all dead men, a pox!’

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[A Soap Mess Stories]

Another wonderful tale as always.

[James]

One of the best I've read in a long time. A masterful job.

[andrew mitchell]

top notch storytelling in your unique style. well done.

[Coyote Poetry]

I loved this tale. I need to buy another one of your books. I like your stories. You make common people come alive in your description. I like the ending. Thank you David for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[Valentine]

Nothing like revenge from a female scorned. Had to chuckle at this one. Keep them coming. Valentine

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

I adore this type of poetry, you have a unique way of letting the readers mind lend to the horror without actually writing it in, well done, good read.

[Jane Winters Rogers]

What a eerie frightening poem. "She summons the storms, she screams at God " . Wow, my favorite lines you penned are these, " the storms carry her lovers pain " it's then that the skull on the hearth lights up", from the glow of it's empty eyes" and she knows he wants her to save the ship but she can't because her heart is filled with hate...she is bitter now and hates all seamen so she curses " a pox on all dead men! " You have such a incredible imagination. Another fabulous poem and story. You are a great poet Thank you for sharing your writing. I am grateful.