Fear of the Dark !

texting when somebody is talking to you = bad manners !

I felt compelled as oft the case

to take a stroll of an evening late

so suitably attired I set off, 

out the door, out the gate,

crossed the road, walked ahead

approahed to a lonely lane

and with purpose in stride 

proceeded along dark domain!

 

The night sky clear, stars twinkling

set far behind a luminous moon

blackthorn hedge on either side, 

enclosed within a linear tomb

undeterred I journeyed onwards

as sterile air revitalized my lungs

then in the stillness of the night

I heard the wagging of little tongues?

 

Caw and cackle of old crows

roosting high up in the trees

each securing solid purchase

before the night time freeze

then maybe a shrieking banshee cry

nope, just the howling of a feral fox,

those flapping sounds, vampires not

just a circling owl or hunting hawks

 

now well freshed, calm and satiated

intrigued by nature’s nocturnal, noise,

returning home, back up the street, 

I passed a couple of hooded boys

politely I bid one each “Good night”  

but no reply, each texting on phones,

so briskly I continued home, though

perturbed..

Those two rude beings chilled my bones!

Author's Note

BTW the accompanying photo is me, in winter attire ! ( Scary ) !!

Reviews

[AYVID]

The evening walk was delightful Tom! All those chilling yet thrilling night noises are so energezing and would be lovely followed by a drink and dinner! Enjoyed the fine, well crafted verses very much. A poem after my heart. And the pic is a treat for your friends who get to see more of you!

[Tom]

Hey Divya my beautiful and brilliant Indian bard, here's a proposal? What about you & me take a walk along that chilling lane one dark night, and if you don't get too afraid and run away, I'll buy the drink & dinner...spicy with papadoms of course !!

[AYVID]

All smiles. Now that would be a true treat, dear Tom. I am so captivated by the beauty of your land, the white woods must glow under the moon as did the lovely homes beside the Atlantic, lit up with fairy lights. I can so imagine the chilling beauty at night. So, dear friend, I'll look forward to next visit. Dinner would be appreciated a lot! I love port wine. And no, I won't be running away from such great stuff! :)

[Tom]

Hi Divya! If went for a similar walk together in your lovely land, might a tiger or leopard eat us ??

[AYVID]

Lol. Perhaps not dear Tom but I'd be more afraid of people. The ruffians on the streets. The dark hour and you and me would make for quite an exotic kind of pair :)

[Tom]

Yes we would indeed, yea, you're right, it's human beings that are the more likely menace and sadly, that may well be the case wherever we venture, but I'm happy to take my chance !!

[AYVID]

Thats so sweet and nice to know, my dear friend....

[Angi]

I am gonna rant about the evil that texting is! I cannot stand to see a group of people together but so NOT together. It makes me crazy to see people lose the precious interaction skills we all need. I found it so funny that the animals and the deep dark did not frighten you on your walk. Those horribly scary kids did. The truly scary part is they probably never even knew you were there. Lucky you aren't an axe murderer! I love that picture of you. I hope it snows in SC this year. We haven't had a flake in 2 years! Angi~

[Tom]

My point exactly Angi and thanks for such a purposeful review ! ps.. hope you have a very merry White Christmas this year !!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i know...it is scary, this attachment to electronics...kids these days are never where they are...always somewhere else, talking to someone who is NOT there.

jacob

[Tom]

You've hit the proverbial nail on the head Jacob ! And thank you for the insightful comment !

[Baby Ricochet]

This is a great poetic story. I confess to texting quite a bit. It does come in handy for a lot of things. Like
"Get some milk when you're at the store" or staying in touch with people you don't want to talk to. I know that sounds weird but you know what I mean

[Tom]

Nothing wrong at all with texting Rico my friend, but irritating you'll agree, when talking to someone while they're doing it ! And thanks for your visit !

[Lydia Shutter]

It is truly frightening to me how little human interaction exists today. Those two boys on their cell phones will never hear the beautiful songs of nature as you did. They will never know the comradery of neighbors who greet one another each day. It is sad really. Your images here are wonderful...they touched on all the senses. The dark is not as frightening as the light sometimes, is it? I enjoyed this write.

[Tom]

You got my poems gist exactly to a 'T' (for texting ) Lydia, and thank you for such a perceptive review !!

[Lydia Shutter]

You're quite welcome, Tom.

[Yellow Butterfly]

I like your play on words with this write Tom..... the dark can be a very scary place indeed....

YB

ps: could do with a thick shirt like yours its....Brrrrrrrfreezing here right now.. :)

[Tom]

Thank you YB & nice to see you back, have you been away on holiday perhaps ?

[Yellow Butterfly]

Your welcome Tom.... Just a little break away from the Cafe... it's good to be back :o)