The Valley of Dreadful Night

He hid in the fields and hedgerows,

And skirted the towns by night,

He lay in the barns of deserted farms

To sleep, when the time was right.

He always kept one step ahead

Of the pack that would hunt him down,

And stole his food in the neighbourhood

Of the cottages, far from town!

 

He thought of his love, his Jenny,

And gave out a savage cry,

He’d found her lying with Jack Malone

Like a pig, in a rutting sty,

He’d plunged the dagger into the heart

Of his love, and his one delight,

Then watched the fire leach out of her eyes

To the Valley of Dreadful Night!

 

Malone, he’d left as a warning,

His throat slit ear to ear,

No more was the great philanderer

To bed any woman here,

He propped him up at the old crossroads,

He nailed his corpse to a tree,

And left a sign: ‘I was caught in crime,

Now look what’s happened to me!’

 

His nights, they were black and broken

By dreams that troubled his sleep,

For Jenny would seem to be woken

From the depths of a bottomless creek,

She raged in his shallow nightmares,

What she said would leave him agape:

‘I never loved any man but you,

It was simply a case of rape!'

 

Then he moaned and cried in confusion,

And he wept ‘til he lay awake,

With his tear-stained face now broken,

With the loss of his heartfelt hate,

And he mourned the loss of his Jenny,

The girl with the wide, bright eyes,

And he cursed himself for a felon,

And the life that he now despised!

 

They found him there in the morning,

They beat, and bound him in chain,

Then dragged him off to the magistrates

As he sank in his pit of pain.

The judge put on the dread black cap

And thundered the words that he said:

‘I have no choice but to sentence you

To be hanged by the neck, ‘til dead!’

 

The sun, it was barely rising,

He could hear the birds from his cell,

Fluttering up in the willow tree

By the gallows, his personal hell,

They looped the rope down over his neck

And he said: 'It’s only right!’

As he crashed down into a dreamless sleep

In the Valley of Dreadful Night!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[ROSALIND]

No wonder you are brilliant found this on the internet You are a published poet.
poet David Lewis Paget

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Biography of David Lewis Paget
David Lewis Paget poet

AUSTRALIAN POET. Born in Nottingham, lived in Great Barr, Birmingham, until the age of 13, when migrated to Australia. Lived in Adelaide, joined Air Force at 21 and became Instrument Fitter. Began writing poetry during duty crew and guard weekends. In 1976 fulltime to Flinders University of South Australia, Bachelors degree in English and History. Wrote and published a magazine for the unemployed called 'Bread'. Wrote and published monthly magazines 'Trader's Gate' and 'Central Yorke Peninsula Mercury' for three years in the late 1980's. Ran printing and publishing business Mushroom Graphics until 1990, then Cottage Print until 2005. Gave up poetry for five years, and wrote eight novels in the early 2000's.
Until recently was Teaching English at Wenzhou Medical College, an arm of the Wenzhou University, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China. The experience there prompted another foray into poetry, leading to the current narrative style chosen for the second incarnation. Now retired and living in South Australia. Author of the non-fiction 'Arrows from Wenzhou', a detailed account of the twelve months spent in China.
Concentrates these days on narrative poetry.

David Lewis Paget's Published Books:

Poetry Collections -
Stand Up & Be Counted - 1974
The Venus Bird - 1974
Terra Australis Incognita - 1975
Ishtar - 1977
Bitter Harvest - 1977
Weep - 1980
Inspirators - 1981
Spoils of War - 1984
Cader Rook - 1996
Perspectives in a Black Season - 2003
The Red Knight - 2003
.

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

The whole world needs to read your words Sweet David, you are brilliant and one of the best poets I have ever read.

[Emerald Seas]

Such an exquisite writing. I know I do not write with such skill. It is lovely to see this level of writing here at WC.
Excellent meter and rhyme scheme throughout and your story unfolds flawlessly. I love this and would love to hear it as a spoken word piece. Splendid!

[Extant]

What can I say to something with so much character? I wouldn't dare change a thing.
I laugh and wonder, I cringe and mourn.
Misguided perhaps and led astray.
But proven is that his soul is torn.
He is not to be condemned to this day.

[patricia]

pace, rhythm, twists and turns, shocks, justice then horror of mistaken justice, this poem seems to have it all. Excellent. Enjoyed.

[Deandra Dawn]

Very beautifully written. Nice job.

[Leigh]

Brilliant and full of passion and action this could be the opening of a film, I really like the pace and rhythm of this piece, it flows along, moving with intensity.

[Marie]

Really good; really exciting. You have a wonderful way of rhyming.

This is excellent. I can hear these words in my mind as a country/folk song.

[Tate Morgan]

Oh this tale of woe fits the bill for sure beautifully crafted and a signature of your to boot