A Winters Walk in the Witches Wood

something for Halloween

fingers run through your hair,
a kiss, 'Good morning, I love you,
lets go for a walk today'.

eyes glare, wanting to sleep,
day in bed, days in bed,
'It's cold outside....'


skin shivers as water washes,
you are awake now,
body beautiful, wrapped in towels.

breakfast fills inside,
we are warm together,
winter falls outside our window.


boots slide on,
gloves, scarves and woolly hat,
all wrapped up.

leaving our home,
door closed, wishing us back,
hand in hand we move.

through roads, pathways,
muddied tracks to the wood,
breath blows chilled.

bowed trees form a walkway,
enticing us forward,
we are bonded by love.

into a new world we trek,
silence greets us,
eeire weirdness awaits.

pick a flower for a buttonhole,
smile for a sneaky kiss,
air becomes heavy in mist.

sudden darkness, we huddle,
in the place by the tower,
dead plants all around.

crack, snap and crackle,
upon us is she, dark laughter,
makes the wood shake.

'What brings you here,
with happiness and light?
That is not the spirit of my home'.

we shudder, stand scared,
the witch casts her spell,
trying to send us to dark depths of hell.

together we scream,
not sure of escape,
as we run and shout to find a way out.

when we do the sun shines,
resting in each others arms,
away from the wood, in each other's charms.

Reviews

[R J Askew]

I see the wood as a state of mind. Everything feels fine and normal up until 'bowed trees form a walkway' when things start to close in. Sudden darkness could be the onset of a depression. Like 'What brings you hear with happiness and light?' The witch seems almost reasonable. It is we who walk into her estate, not her who comes after us. But we escape... This time! 'Silence greets us' is a key line, as silence undermines and unhinges, especially in woods and other dark places where we might feel lost. The Germans are very keen on woods I believe. We Brits have chopped all ours down. The tower seems to be a forbidding power. The dead plants seem to suggest nature's fertility thwarted, the opposite result to what love hopes for. Enjoyed the read. Like the subtle shift from the comfort and certainty at the the top to the opposite.

[RienKelsoCinema]

Great work. An absolute piece of greatness. I love how you expressed the mood as it is a season. I guess there is a temperature of fear, of horror, of darkness. And that is ice cold. If there is no sun, there is no warmth and there is no light.

[prachi prangya agasti]

nicely described... loved the piece...

[Sean]

I like the story! Well expressed!

[Wolfhilde]

Very nice! i'm glad they are alright. very well written!

[Sher{alynn} Veron{ica}]

I enjoyed the walk with you :)

[Dustin Yancey]

This was very well written, well done!

[Amy Vaughn]

"skin shivers as water washes,
you are awake now,
body beautiful, wrapped in towels."

That is personally my favorite stanza, though I love all of it. You didn't waste words so each seemed to have a heavier meaning. Though that is common in poetry I really like how you did it in this poem.

[smalltownsympathies]

I absolutely loved the hushed tones within this poem. Absolute beauty. It really told the story, every stanza holding its own in relation to the main point. Loved it, I can't stress that enough

[M.A. Van Dyke]

Good write! I was worried for a sec there at the end that they weren't going to make it out. Glad they did, and glad I stumbled upon this poem!
ps. I like the picture from Legend, she scared the crap out of me when I was a kid!