Gothic

 Dungeon
—Image by Kalhh (Pixabay)

 

* * *

—Poetry by Dawn Pisturino, Arizona
—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of
Dawn Pisturino

 

 

DARKNESS

You rise with the morning sun,
A shadow on the eastern horizon.
Darkness follows you in the daylight
And thickens the gloom of night.
My inner light beckoned to you,
Piercing the blackness,
But you extinguished it,
Preferring to shroud yourself
In the pall of funeral dust.

 

 

 

 Ophelia
—Painting by Sir John Everett Millais

OPHELIA

Ophelia leans over the balcony
In Juliet-like display,
Contemplating the courtyard below
And listening for the sounds of her beloved.
“Hamlet! What keeps you away
And too preoccupied to see your lady love,
Your poor, impatient Ophelia?
Am I not worthy of your attention, too?
Forget the madness of your father’s death
And come to me!” Silence responds,
And Ophelia’s eyes glisten with tears.
Perhaps her father is right. If Hamlet’s
Affections are untrustworthy—
If he merely approaches her in jest—
Far better to die a tragic death
Than become the butt of court hilarity.
Her heart twists and turns with painful
Realizations and doubts. She must get away
And escape the constant scrutiny
Of father, brother, and royal gossip.
She will not marry anyone but Hamlet!
She runs from the castle, seeking clarity
In the running river.
She fills her arms with rue
And plunges into the rushing water,
Washing away all doubts and fear.
But a moment’s breathless distress,
And peace is hers at last.

_____________________

GOTHIC

Our love straddled the line between Life and Death
And all things in-between.
The limitations of Life could not contain us.
Only the limitless boundaries of Death
Could accommodate our souls,
Joined together, point-to-point,
In an unholy alliance that defied
The conventions of our time.
The castle walls loomed around us
Like great sentries, keeping us imprisoned.
Our hands bound with chains to moldy walls,
We whispered through the bars of our cells,
Anticipating the day of our imminent demise.
The Count’s rage could not extinguish the flames
Of our adulterated connection.
We lived for each other, and so, we would die,
Together, unfettered by human law and the
Condemnation of Holy Mother Church.
Our love would live on,
Even as the breath left our dying bodies.
Walking hand-in-hand into the darkness,
Cursed to face eternity together,
Our souls would rejoice in our oneness
And find mercy in an All-Loving God.

____________________

Today’s LittleNip:

Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it.

―Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember

____________________

—Medusa, with thanks to Dawn Pisturino for today’s fine poems, and some pix she sent us to go with them!

 

 

 

 —Public Domain Cartoon Courtesy of Medusa

 

 

 

 

 

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