MY GHOST

The very first of the "Fran Series". Before we were even an item, I had perceived within this attractive, gregarious woman a frightened immobilized child, crying in frustration, seeking relief...

MY GHOST

There's a Booger in the woods--
How do I know he's there?
When I walk too close to Him,
His talons snag my hair

He frightens me, he makes me cry
More so than Robbers, or Hoods--
I stay away from Meadows now,
'cause there's a Booger in the woods!

I've a Ghost who shadows me
Down every Path I tread;
I've tried every means I know
To convince Him that He's dead

I plead with him to let me be,
Yet does my Ghost my footsteps fill.
His viscid croaking reminding me
That I alone can His voice still!

Is't not enough just to deplore Him?
Can it be I must ignore Him?
Does my acknowledgement restore Him?
Give Him Power? Make Him Whole?

If true, I must command Him gone!
Starting now! This very Dawn!
Clammy hands no longer on
My Back, my Neck, nor on my Soul!

There WAS a Booger in those Trees,
But Spring is here, and leaves are on!
And dead things cannot my heart freeze,
Nor long live, where's Life, and Sun!

I thought I heard Him yesterday,
But I laughed, and said, "It's but the Breeze!
"It's months now since He's called my name
"For there is NO Booger in those Trees!"



A word of Explanation: "Booger" is a catch-all term used in the South, to
refer to any spooky but insubstantial thing. Earlier forms include "bogey"
and "boggart" As this is a poem about facing and eventually conquering
one's fears, it seemed an apt choice, despite its other more-common meaning.

Reviews

[emmajoy]

Wow .. this is part scary and part funny .. and I hide my eyes from your words, laughing and trembling!

Great write, Mark - so enjoyed it.

It's strange how phantoms and their goings-on leave such an indelible impression on minds. Children seem to laugh at them yet, fear them and enjoy that fearing. Maybe it's because they don't analyse like adults do.

As to the breeze in the trees .. what about that din in the win-dy wind ..

[JenLyn]

I like it, especially the meaning behind it but some of the rhyming feels a little forced, other than that good job. :)

[Samuel Dickens]

My sisters used to tease me "An old booger man is going to get you, Sammy!" Yeah, Mark, when I left Arkansas, I had to learn to say "boogey man," and a lot of other corrections as well, like 'salmon' with no "L"
As always, you craft a fine and entertaining piece of writing. Better re-post this one come Haloween.