A Prehistoric Nightmare !

Definitely nothing to do with cricket !

With the day’s work complete, I arrived  home and relaxed by the fire

the children were playing contently, still dressed in school day attire,

my wife in the kitchen next door, cooking something that smelt rather good

so to keep us all nice and warm, I stoked up the flames and threw on more wood!

 

As I sat in a favourite armchair, all my worries ebbed soothingly away

and a calmness befell that often descends at the end of the day,

reassured to have brought home the bacon, perhaps a link from an ancestral gene

so with Fido our family dog asleep by my feet, I closed my eyes and began to dream!

 

Now peacefully sitting outdoors, neath the light of a much younger moon

a wild boar roasted above a raging campfire, I'd slewed earlier that afternoon

and a bear skin clad woman before me, attentively carved meat from it's bone

with what looked like the jagged edge, of a sharply serrated, flint stone!

 

I too wrapped in thick animal pelt, with a matching thick beard, hanging down

nearby two similarly dressed children, were throwing toy spears into the ground,

the wafting aroma of that wild cooking meat, created a most soporific embrace

and I stretched out strong neanderthal limbs, as a feeling of serenity fell over this place!

 

I gazed licentiously at my Venus in furs, preparing  this lavish feast

oblivious to the ominous presence, of a huge carnivorous beast

then suddenly with a menacing roar, it bounded out from the shadows black

and instinctively I thought of my family and how to ward off this vicious attack!

 

Quickly I harried them into a cave, then turned to face this nemesis grotesque

and with a blood curdling roar it pounced, as I stood fear-stricken and statuesque,

as dagger like fangs and gnarling sharp claws were about to tear me apart,

a wolf like companion leapt up from the fireside, to form a resilient rampart!

 

As a ferocious battle ensued, I grabbed my spear and cowed behind the raging fire, 

sensing this bloody, bitter encounter, would end in consequences, fatally dire

and despite my loyal canine defender's noble and valiant conquest,

his vitality began to wane, as the life blood pumped from a wound in his breast! 

 

And as the razor like claws ripped through his blood soaked matted fur

in one timeless second I ran my spear, straight through this monstrous saboteur,

and with a guttural roar it fell prostrate and dead, on top of the leafy ground,

then I knelt to comfort my gallant protector, and a neanderthal tear fell onto his beloved hound!

Suddenly I awoke with a start, it had all just been a dreadful nightmare,

such relief to be back home, sitting within my comfy armchair

and when my wife served our evening meal, a casserole of succulent pork meat,

I reached down to the floor and gave Fido a tasty big slice to eat!

Reviews

[AYVID N]

Oh, this so sad, such a touching and memorable narrative. Tom, you have such a heart warming style of writing. It was also a very reflective and educative writing and a great comment on how we have evolved and the basis of our actions and reactions.

My most favorite is the cozy, restive and warm picture created in the first two verses. Applause!

[Tom]

Thank you again Divya, I thought you might enjoy this one, after I read your brilliant poem about the tiger !

[AYVID N]

You are welcome Tom, it was a truly enjoyable read. :)

[Ankit Mahar]

Wow .Great story tom. Thanks for sharing.

[Tom]

And you are welcome Ankit the 2nd ? (Who is the real one?)

[Lydia Shutter]

You truly are a wonderful story teller, Tom. The scene you set in the first two stanzas was so "homey" ....like a Norman Rockwell painting even though he painted American scenes! :) Lines like "a much younger moon" are so creative. Loved how you injected romance with ogling your woman as she cooked dinner over the fire! Funny how your dream mirrored real life. A saber-toothed tiger kept at bay by Fred while you get your spear to finish him off in the dream and Fred chasing the cat in real life. I enjoyed this one....and the rhyming was super! Lydi**

[Tom]

Thank you Lydia for such a splendid, detailed review !

[Sheila Kline]

When the hero is a dog, I am always "all in" for the story and what an entertaining "nightmare" it is! Your ability to weave so many vivid descriptions of your cave man experience, including your Venus in furs - just love that description! - to the lurking female beast. What a surprise when a man settles in for some nap time, hoping to perhaps relive the hearty moments of a cricket match and WHAM BAM - along comes a full array of fiends within a dream! You had me ready to jump from my chair to come to your rescue!

This one is really different for you, but certainly highlights your ability to tell a story - woven with reality and dreaming! Lots of normal with the weirdly abnormal!! And as always, your rhyme is "spot-on"!!

Horray for you, horray for Fred!!! He saved the day!!

[Tom]

Thank you Sheila, sad though as I think the old story telling days around the fireside seem to be a thing of the past, but we'll keep it alive here on WC at leaast !!

[Sheila Kline]

Oh yes, I just love a good story, and this is a good story!!!

[Yellow Butterfly]

You are an amazing story teller Tom and you had me gripped from start to finish. I liked how you cleverly intertwined your conscious thoughts with subconscious thoughts at first having me think this was fiction for it to turn into a non fiction nail-biting story .....thinking it was real and all along it was a dream.... yep.. you got me... hahah.

And the hero in all this was your devoted pet dog ....I say.....three cheers for Fred... Hip Hip...... lol

I loved this one..... looking forward to reading more of your stories (not involving cricket) :O)

YB

[Tom]

Thank you YB, yes indeed as the cricket season is over the mind does wonder ???

[Marie]

I love this story. Little Fred was a true hero. Maybe he thought the cat was a wild, ferocious beast...

[Tom]

Yes indeed Marie, deep animal instincts are difficult to erase ! ( in humans as well as dogs )!!

[Sami Khalil]

I like how you set up the scene perfectly and then dive in the story-type nightmare which was riveting. I like how you connect aspects of your life with events of the nightmare...A very good one...:)

[Tom]

Thanks Sami, yea you grasped the concept for sure !

[Sami Khalil]

Wow. Good to know ...You are welcome...:)