If I had a heart, and if it were true,
she would protect me from ghost-dancing moon;
No filthy ogre, no shadowy cur
or ghoulish rage to make my belly stir.
If I could follow an angel within,
wear her like a blanket, a second skin;
No more night terrors, no reason to scream,
only beachy nasturtiums in my dreams.
If I had a heart, and if it were true,
sleeping in comfort and waking with you,
swaddled in moonbeams, wrapped up in the sky,
no more crossing fingers, hoping to die--
With tell-tale heart dunked in shimmery light,
the nights are wholesome, then no planets strike.
The Real Toads are writing ghost tales today! My first line here is attributed to the great Charlie Chesterman (the song is called "If I Had a Heart" from Studebakersfield), and the last line is from Hamlet. Happy Halloween!
O wow! This is my favorite with full swing on meter, alliteration, rhyme, hope, happy, o--your narrator clearly has both heart angel:
ReplyDelete"If I had a heart, and if it were true,
sleeping in comfort and waking with you,
swaddled in moonbeams, wrapped up in the sky,
no more crossing fingers, hoping to die--"
All in good time.
<3 Happy Halloween!
ReplyDeleteYou could set this to music:-)
ReplyDeleteWow! A sonnet (my fave all-time form)for Halloween. This is a delightful romp through quatrain and couplet with such excellent imagery, from a ghost-dancing moon to beachy nasturtiums. I love it!
ReplyDeletemaybe you know that the sonnet is one of my least favorites! but i felt it was necessary to write a sonnet once i landed on the quote from Hamlet. respect, you know :)
DeleteI love, love, LOVE this - with its lovely lilt, "wrapped up in the sky"....."dunked in shimmery light".....and upbeat message. Stay safe tonight, kiddo. Hope the storm is abating. Did you weather it well?
ReplyDeleteLots of fun references here, Marian, especially the Poe. The sonnet structure gives it a sort of spell-mumbling cadence, too. Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! So much to love that I can't pick out a favorite thing!!
ReplyDeleteThis was wonderful...it imagery, its magic cadence feel!
ReplyDeleteI love what you have done...
I have to read it again ;D
Very Clever Marian!
wear her like a blanket, a second skin;
ReplyDeleteNo more night terrors,
That is so comforting a thought! Nicely done... Happy Halloween.
This is so beautiful, Marian. I love it.
ReplyDeleteK
So lovely ... the third stanza blew me away.
ReplyDeleteLovely sonnet...Happy Halloween ~
ReplyDeleteI so love the ones you write wherein I have to read it aloud, just to get the full flavor of it - delish!
ReplyDeleteit IS fun to read out loud, isn't it? boo!
ReplyDeletethanks, everyone and xoxo