In Savernake Forest

based on a true event

It was a beautiful, hot August day

She'd taken the children out to play

In Savernake Forest

 

Her little blondie-girl, her blue-eyed boy

A picnic vacation

An idyllic postcard picture with her bundles of joy

 

She laid-out a blanket beneath the trees

Her little ones played hopskotch and patted their knees

In Savernake Forest

 

"Be careful, my babies! And don't stray too far!"

"Alright, mummy!" they said

And she brought some more things from the car

 

 

That day a young man had a scream in his mind

Loaded-up with guns, and targets to find

In Savernake Forest

 

He stopped-off as usual to fill-up his tank

A smothered, ticking brain

Clicking back a trigger for a wound-up crank

 

The cashier behind the glass had a creeping sensation

The odd young man passed daily, towards his destination

In Savernake Forest

 

His empty eyes this time, though, were staring down a barrel

A bullet struck her leg

He clicked, then cursed, and left her bleeding, crawling for a towel

 

He sped-off, that was nothing, of the points he had to prove

He'd other weapons, other guns, for anything that moved

In Savernake Forest

 

 

The sun was gleaming, birds were singing, luncheon time was here

She called her children close

In perfect peace and isolation; a pretty world to fear

 

Protector and protected sat round upon the grass

An oft-dreamed image of love and hope, evermore to last

In Savernake Forest

 

But shadows come, and precious time is fragile in this life

A moment to be lost

Forever, future tainted, and widowed of its wife

 

The cold young man in combat gear was watching from the bushes

He remembered times when life was dear, before the pulls and pushes

In Savernake Forest

 

Shocked, she saw the stranger, yet recognised his face

Her instinct locked her back

To gather up her little ones and save them from this place

 

The man approached with gun in hand, a groundsheet on his arm

"They're only small," she said, "please don't cause them any harm"

In Savernake Forest

 

Silently, he followed; she put the children in the car

"Stay here, it's just a game"

She knew too well that if they'd run they'd not get very far

 

He grabbed her arm -she knew her fate- he led her to a clearing

No witnesses, no passers-by, no screams to catch the hearing

In Savernake Forest

 

Saving the innocents from the devil was but a moment's death

She'd sacrifice herself

To lay with a deadly sinner for a few more moments' breath

 

Kaleidoscopic voices span round the young man's head

He laid the sheet, then laid her down, and shot her point-blank, dead

In Savernake Forest

 

The children heard an echoed Bang! and sparrows fled the wood

"It's poachers, mummy said

Or the wolf in the book that mummy read: Little Red Riding Hood"

 

But he shot her again, and again, and again, then left the cordite smell

Left the bloodied, splattered scene to memories of hell

In Savernake Forest

 

 

On that hot afternoon, alone in a field, two children were heard talking

Some old lady found them

When asked "Where's mummy?" they replied: "A man just took her walking"

 

There were 15 more killings that day, in the sun

The young man, with a mother, had only begun

In Savernake Forest

 

 

 

Reviews

[Marie Harrison]

Wow, I couldn't stop reading, It was a gripping tale! What a tale spinner you are. Enjoyed your write very much.

[Elizabeth]

This broke my heart. I somehow had the feeling from the start that all was not going to end well... I could really see this take place. I could hear his boots and see the children climbing into the car. This is so haunting and well written...

[Ryan Falzon - Tymon]

I loved the fact that the poem at first gives a feeling of a mother and her children safely guarded and almost impossible to harm, until the man is introduced. The children are slightly oblivious to their mother's death, but I think grief followed after words, a perfect poem as always devons!

[Kanattas Atir Enomo]

wow this was...deep and chilling and thrilling and well written. just wow. it used great imagery and i coupld picture the entire thing in my mind. i love how it changed in the middle there. like corey said, it seemed so light and happy then turned sinister and dark. very well written piece and it flowed well too. a lot of people have problems with getting a piece that changes like this one to flow correctly and you did a fantastic job.

[Crowley]

Sometimes its difficult to take the stark and savage realities of this world and make them seem real, you succeeded. This my friend was chilling and in grand style. Well crafted and the name of the forest that seemed so light and picknicky at first, took on a whole different feeling as the piece moved forward. Its weird how the name of the forest for me took on the sinister feeling of the gunmen and not the other way around. Nice pacing and wicked visuals. Great job.

[R.S. Wilder]

A lot of the times when I read your work, the tsunami of emotions that swell with me makes me tear up. This is another work of genius.
But it made me cry...

[Sasha]

:( I was curious and captivated the whole way through. Worried for this woman and her innocent children. I thought it was interesting the way you reiterated "In Savernake Forest" in every other stanza. I'm not sure why you did it because I was just sitting here like "Okay, I'm sure I'm not going to be forgetting the name anytime soon." But it's your technique and you used it well. Your story was thorough and your imagery was vivid. Good job.

[just rose.]

very intense, and brilliantly, skilfully, and savagely written - there's every emotion on earth in this.

my favorite line: "He remembered times when life was dear, before the pulls and pushes..."

some things cannot be taken back or made right.

[A.Lee]

Good lord... I'd never heard of this, but it sent chills down my spine. Excellent portrayal of such an evil and gruesome event. I liked the transition between italics and standard text. A mother's love... Great work. I'm sending this to my favorites.

[R E Tree]

This is quite a write. You have described the violent man very well and he has a sick mind. I don't watch many horror films but this sure reminded me of one but I can't remember what it was called. I like your serious tone in the poem it brings a effect on the reader that this is nothing to make fun out of