The Grave Bells of St. Clairvaux

The end of a trilogy of poetry I regard as dark gothic rhyme. See author notes for further details on these poems.

The Grave Bells of St Clairvaux 

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

What eyes hid in the shadow of night, 

never to be revealed in the morning of light

When the grave digger calls with shovel in hand 

filling the holes with brown sodden sand.

The gothic stone masons give image to rock

Gargoyles and sad Angels cause ravens to flock 

The tall grass in patches with dirt paths worn thin

Bear the markings of footfalls, of mourners therein 

Headstones weathered worn, with names far long gone

Their memories still remain, in hearts unable to move on

Though the populace of graveyard doth slowly do grow 

Plot of land is limited upon the grounds of St. Clairvaux

What makes this place exceptional is difficult to convey 

But what is whispered within rumor is 'oft hidden in the grey 

It's murmured Mephistopheles once played a cruel jest here

Leaned forward 'pon cousin Death, and expressed into her ear

"Let us take delight in the blind ignorance of faithful obtuse man.."

"I shall ring the bells upon the headstones and see what comes to hand."

All at once the small chimes rang, to fill the night with sound 

Men, women, and children wept, and ran toward hallowed ground

Fearing that their loved ones were buried; yet still alive

Cast blame upon the grave digger, and attacked him like a hive

Placed noose upon man's neck, and pulled tight to stifle breath.

Threw rope's end over branch, and yanked until his death.

Nicholas Scratch then stopped with the toying of the bells

Smiled upon the rabble, for as predicted, they did well.

"See, cousin Death, truth reveals these mortals so easy to sway

To accuse innocence so wrongly; and in their faith betray."

"Another corpse to fill a hole; another sordid soul to take

They fall for all my vile tricks, and in their beliefs forsake." 

Should you ever wander 'pon the graveyard of St. Clairvaux 

Take heed; and don't be fooled, by the ringing bells that toll.

Fin.

 

Author's Note

This latest submission is the completion of a trilogy of poetry in the span of a couple of months. I colloquially refer to them as dark gothic rhymes. They consist of the following in the precise order they should be read. The Serpent and the Holy Man, In the Darkest Night, The Grave bells of St. Clairvaux. Each delve into our human nature, morality, flawed judgment as mortals. The archetypes and themes I feel are a call back to Brother Grimm tales, which these poems were inspired by. They build upon each successive work much like a stream, to a river, and eventual sea. And they were written for all of you as a gift from one writer to another. Write with meaning, passion, and purpose. Let your art fill and inspire the hearts of others so that they may find within themselves the writer. For it is in between the words you write that others will see who you truly are, and in themselves strive to be better. This community has always been welcoming and kind and I can't help but pay it forward. Thank you so very much for your friendships.

Reviews

[Zoe Richardson]

This is so very gothic, and cleverly done. It's an impressive undertaking. The only constructive comment I would make is to watch your rhyme scheme. Make sure the meter balances so readers have a seamless reading experience.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Zoe for your thoughts on this work. This indeed was an undertaking to say the least. It was the 3rd part of a trilogy of connecting poetry that deals with death and human nature. The other two are "The Serpent and the Holy Man" and "In the darkest Night". They were inspired by my love of Brother Grimm. I must admit though you are correct about the rhyming scheme of this particular poem. Personally I feel a good editor could find places to shorten it and tighten it up a.bit. Make it more concise with a better flow. Editing is one of my more weakest skills in writing. In the art form itself I gravitate more toward short stories then poetry. I just don't consider myself a very good poet, but I enjoy challenging myself to do something out of my comfort zone. At 55 I try to keep my mind sharp and this helps a bit. Thank you so much for your thoughts on this work. I truly appreciate it.

[Zoe Richardson]

You and I are of an age. I, however, find poetry to be my natural way of expressing myself. I struggle to hold onto the plot in fiction, spending all my time making the characters converse. To be a poet, you must suffer. All writers do but poetry helps makes sense of suffering. With some editing, this could be Poe-etic (something Poe would have written.) It's okay if it needs several revisions. Refining takes time and attention.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

That is excellent advice, Zoe. I have always loved the art of writing I'm just so lazy in the technical aspects of it. At time I wish I had more dedication in that part. Poetry is a wonderful art form but the storytelling part of me feels so constraint by it. My writing tends to be very effusive and descriptive in approach and being bound by certain rules or structures in the art form makes it a challenge to me. Though writing does ask a lot of us Poetry tends to do this more so then other forms. Their schemes of rhyme and tempo take a bit of adjustment as well as telling a theme within this short pattern in a concise relevant manner. It's a self challenge I do not take lightly especially within this community of incredible poets. I hope to improve with each passing submission incrementally. Life life itself writing is a long arduous journey of self discovery. Thank you again for your kind thoughts on this wonderful art form we share.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

That is excellent advice, Zoe. I have always loved the art of writing I'm just so lazy in the technical aspects of it. At time I wish I had more dedication in that part. Poetry is a wonderful art form but the storytelling part of me feels so constraint by it. My writing tends to be very effusive and descriptive in approach and being bound by certain rules or structures in the art form makes it a challenge to me. Though writing does ask a lot of us Poetry tends to do this more so then other forms. Their schemes of rhyme and tempo take a bit of adjustment as well as telling a theme within this short pattern in a concise relevant manner. It's a self challenge I do not take lightly especially within this community of incredible poets. I hope to improve with each passing submission incrementally. Life life itself writing is a long arduous journey of self discovery. Thank you again for your kind thoughts on this wonderful art form we share.

[John Prophet]

Great talented write. You’ve got skill!

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you, John, I appreciate the kind words. This was really fun to write despite its somber message. I've never been much of a poet preferring to write short stories above anything else but since being part of this community I have found inspiration here and am slowly getting better because of the talent at the Cafe. The more I read the works of other wonderful writers here the more I draw encouragement to give poetry a try. So thank you so much for your kind words and also the art you share.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Carlos... my Mother is laid to rest with most of her family in "Odd Fellows Cemetery" in
Delaware. She rests under a large Rose Quartz Heart Tombstone with an excerpt from her favorite poem
etched in black on one side and her name and family etched on the other side. Part of the poem
reads-- "Close to my heart I fold each precious thing the sweet day yields, until God gives us Spring".
Her Grave is under a large flowering Cherry tree that blossoms in the Spring. tenderly, Pat

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you for sharing your touching memory Patricia.

[Chris Shaw]

Very goth Carlos. Has all the hallmarks of a Victorian graveyard. Reminded me of Highgate Cemetery which I visited by appt ten years ago. I certainly wouldn't want to be locked in at night. Quite a dark and grisly write, spooky with it, but thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you for sharing your varied and fluent writing.

Chris

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you so kindly, Chris, I appreciate it. I really enjoyed writing all three of these poems. This one had a bit of a grisly dark ending but with the three I wanted to give them that feel of a brothers grimm tale. A morality play that has us asking of ourselves these existential questions. And as I have mentioned before I love irony. Especially in its darkest form. Thank you again for your thoughts.

[Chris Shaw]

Brothers Grimm were quite frightening. I've never forgotten the Red Shoes. That used to give me nightmares as a child :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

My favorite is Godfather Death. It is so good and its ending is to die for. Literally:)

[Chris Shaw]

Don', t know that one, I'll have to look it up :) Thanks Carlos, enjoy the rest of the day and have a happy weekend.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

You too Chris and thanks again.