Graveyard by the sea

by JLR

The October mist swirls in from the seashore
bringing a wet chill that sets deep in the
night watchman’s bones on this All Hallows' Eve.

His torch flickers, in the whisper of wind,
dancing, bobbing and weaving gently,
as tendrils of soft light bleed
into the heavy dark shadows.

A blood curdling scream unsettles
the rhythm of the croaking frogs
calling out to their prospective mates,
and the flurry of sound from flapping wings
as the startled flock of marsh hens
rushed into the depth of night,
adding to the sudden quake
felt in the time-worn hands
of this trusted sentinel
of the graveyard by the seashore.

Sudden, the mist turns into a heavy fog
that carries in its white shroud,
enveloping every crypt,
the dank smell of seaweed.

Then the undeniable sound,
ding-ding, ding-ding,
signaling two bells, like from a tall ship at sea,
that long ago, this ship would had been
tied to the wharf in the bay.

As the watchman pulled out his timepiece
seeing with amazement that it was,
indeed, two in the morn...
at that very instant there came a
long deep and pain-filled moan
from just past the outreaches of his sight.

She appeared,
as if floating just above the
pebble laden pathway
with her arms outstretched
fingers on both hands signaling
an invitation to
come – come here…

Shaking his head no,
this seasoned veteran of
two score and five
All Hallows eve shifts
simply nods and says, “I bade farewell,
you damsel from the sea,
I know you are a lost soul,
so just pass well into the dark,
rest well,
‘til next Allhalloween.”

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Halloween Poetry contest entry

Recognized

#983
2020

A free verse for Halloween Poetry contest
Author note: Halloween or Hallowe'en also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October.
source: Google facts

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