I Kneel
And count the cost.
A veil of mist before my eyes
Outlines hard to define
Darkness in the skies above
Crawling up my spine.
Strangeness clothed in sombre hues
Screeching winds are moaning
Eerie wraiths pay their dues
Sacrifice afore the gloaming.
Broken mountain treeless plain
Moonscapes most unforgiving
Look over the decrepit house
No soul within left living.
Prickly hairs up on my neck
A long-departed spouse
The now devoured useless wreck
Unwoken not to rise.
The room once full is empty now
Gone are the vacant souls
Bow before the sacred cow
Dead food in the bowls.
All that’s left is eeriness
The sun has finally set
Soldiers left in battledress
Are ones I have never met.
Strange feelings pervade
Of times long past
Visiting is retracing
The one who was within here last.
A ghost I’m now left facing
It is now deserted and lost
No lover I’m embracing
I kneel and count the cost.
©
David Rudder
2024
Thank you for reading this piece and my poetry.
