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Open Poetry #16
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Shadow Dancing
| Open Poetry #16 |
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Shadow Dancing |
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Elizabeth Santos Member Rara Avis
since 1999-11-08
Posts 9269Pennsylvania 
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Shadow Dancing Cold blustery gusts of a wintry wind Swirled up leaves in a spiraling spin A bitter and bone-chilling easterly breeze Nipped at my window and ripped at the eaves Gnarled limbs of an ancient oak eager to grasp, Like barren black fingertips scratched at the glass, This screeching and scraping and Halloween cries Were drawing the slumber from dream laden eyes My head softly resting in pillow of down Unsettled by haunting and badgering sound Had wearily lifted from needed repose And turned toward the wall as I slowly arose And there set before me a theater in my room As the tree out my window was lit by the moon And blown by the cold wind in violent rage My wall seemed to sway with a dance on its stage The visions appearing from gusts of a squall Of limb phantoms dancing across midnight wall Moved wildly to sounds of each splintering crack Which sent trembling chills through the bones in my back Too real was this shadow-dance staged by an oak That wrapped me in shivers of fear’s icy cloak For limb silhouettes in a moment had formed Into weird apparitions as shadows performed The branches still prancing to whistles of wind No longer resembled the trace of a limb But rather a threesome of figures unclear Inducing a moment of trembling fear I mustered the courage to finish this guise And turned on the lamp and through swollen red eyes I prayed that the shadows would now be erased But hearts’s pounding drumbeat had picked up its pace I stood and was grasping at bed’s wooden post for staggering towards me were three ghoulish ghosts So shocked at the vision, I fell in a trance At the sight of these monsters who’d spun in a dance Their eyeballs were sunken, their faces consumed Their garments still smirched from where they were entombed From out of the graveyard this dream was exhumed But from limbs of an oak tree I would not be doomed At first horrified, til I realized the joke And then nervously laughing at the dance of an oak I wondered which friends had contrived such a prank A foul tricky treat laced with musk,damp and dank But I’d never fall for a Halloween game And yet closer and closer they steadily came With each pace their faces more horrid and strange With demeanor of beast and long dreadlocks of mange The stench and the filth from these ungodly three were shrouded in black mist that horrified me Now wakened and lucid on edge of my bed More convinced I was facing the living of dead No rational thought could interpret my plight But a nightmare disturbing my Halloween night A poor soul was the victim of visions of fear That were slowly approaching me ever so near This must be a nightmare, and soon I’ll awake and will laugh at myself for a foolish mistake If I could just somehow escape from this dream And unbearable shrill of my terrified scream Their coldness upon me as hands touched my chest Left me dizzy with fear and insane with unrest But I’m sure it’s a dream and tomorrow I’ll tell Of three ghouls I imagined that came str... ..................the end Elizabeth Santos |
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| © Copyright 2001 Elizabeth Santos - All Rights Reserved | |||
DawnG 
since 2000-06-23
Posts 1494United States |
Elizabeth, A very ghoulish poem you have penned here for Halloween. Enjoyed the read. Dawn |
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Larry C
since 2001-09-10
Posts 10286United States |
Elizabeth, I hate horror films and I don't like ghost stories! But you suckered me. With goosebumps (really!) I finished your tale. My mind wouldn't rest til I found the end. You clever, talented woman you!  |
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Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
 Elizabeth, this was just a wonderfully creative Halloween tale, I loved it! Sweet Dreams and boo to you too! You are just so very talented. ghost gif ~ debsdomicile.com ~*~ Carpe' Diem ~*~ |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Trick or Treat, Elizabeth... This one's a treat...  |
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wayoutwalt Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 4870TEXAS (it's all big) |
Evilicious! |
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Irish Rose Member Patricius
since 2000-04-06
Posts 10263 |
This is beautiful, Liz, good to read your words.... Kathleen |
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Startime Member Ascendant
since 2000-10-03
Posts 5918Canada |
I am too chicken to watch scary films...they always give me nightmares *grin* and this sure is a scary nightmare if you ask me. I am shaking......glad it was just a dream. Very well written and a halloween treat I am sure. LOL  Love I leave with you whether it is in your life now or yet the essense of your dreams. |
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Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
Elizabeth, A wonderful story, enjoyed |
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Marge Tindal
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
LizzieLove~ This was a delightfully entertaining piece~ Wonderful 'read-it-out-loud' cadence~ *applause* ~*Marge*~ ~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~ |
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Elizabeth Santos Member Rara Avis
since 1999-11-08
Posts 9269Pennsylvania |
THank you all for reading this little tale Startime, How do you know it was just a nightmare? Better read the ending again Thanks Marge Liz |
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Trillium
since 2001-03-09
Posts 12098Idaho, USA |
Liz: I enjoyed reading this so much! You can just write about anything and make it believable!! Betty Lou Hebert |
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