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Amidst the Deepening Shadows, a Cry

Make haste
You’re late.
The sun has set
And the darkness is deepening.
The cry that you hear,
That you keep hearing,
is more distant now
And you’re beset with
Thickets and bushes that grasp
At your limbs and clothes,
Slowing your every step.

Break into a run now
If your aching limbs, your burning lungs,
Allow it.
Because each yard
Will seem like a mile
After nightfall
Each step
Will sap your courage.

The night is deepening.
Fields and forests and rocky outcrops
Are now shadows that menace
The mind.
What do you see? Beware, it is a lie.
Each step is a stumbling block.
What seems like soft grass
Will shred your feet like glass.

Yet make haste. You’re late.
The cry that you heard, that you kept hearing,
is but a silence now.

Search now in panic. But where?
Grope in the dark bushes… but for what?

Ah, but you’ve walked too many miles,
Traveller,
To hold a cold, lifeless hand
And know what you’ve known all along:
You’re late.


– Friendly Ghost

Posted in Poetry.



18 Responses

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  1. jack jai says

    Very scary the ending says it all! frightenng ! DFG every day i”ll read what ever I llike in your posts and comment ok dfr.jj

  2. Aparna Bagwe says

    whew .. great scary stuff

  3. bronzegoddess bright says

    very profound..have painted a good picture

  4. dee vine says

    Losing your mind to gallows of age, but surely not your word-ly skills. Well written, Ghost. Yeah, the moment we are born, the only thing certain is death…and yet we celebrate! Thats twisted alright. And hey Ghost, that feeling of time running out? Its not vague. Its oh so certain. Very tangible. Shit, its scary. And its not empathy that makes me say this. I have a looonnnng way to go. Its just foresight. So maybe some of us do get under the ‘’surfaces” and really comprehend when we say, ”we understand”. Wish you peace Ghost. Rest easy…

  5. kush arora says

    i”d also say what swati said since i m her age: u r a good poet…u should do poetry more often…:-)

  6. kush arora says

    how dark this poem! only a ghost culd have written it. (and a frendly one) pun intended!

  7. aradhana khanna says

    dont u like night……pity…..dark sinful night….

  8. ZEUS ZEUS says

    Difficulty in undertaking ”the journey”, eh???? Right words for the right occasion. Good work. Regards…ZEUS.

  9. Friendly Ghost says

    REPLY TO RUCHI: (1) I believe I have seen ghosts on two occasions, although later, I wondered whether to believe my eyes or not. The reason is that until about five years ago, I used to leap out of bed in the night a couple of times every week because I sensed a ghostly presence around me. (2) I haven”t read these stories, although I”ve heard of Dr Victor Frankl. I”d love to read them, though. Warm Regards, Ghost

  10. Friendly Ghost says

    REPLY TO THE PRINCESS: You asked, “Is this about Life and Death ???” Well, it’’s about life, and it’’s about going through life haunted by an anxiety that in the end, all that one has done may not be good enough. It’’s about a vague feeling that time is running out. Warm Regards, Ghost

  11. Sandhya Suri says

    Brilliant…lots pf pace, dark, murky and dreadful…you put it all across very well…especially the cold feeling of fear gripping your entire senses…BZ!

  12. Reshma Thakkar says

    After knowing all along you are late why run and why make haste??? Well I guess you mean Try Try till you succeed!!!

  13. The Princess says

    Is this about Life and Death ???

  14. swati naik says

    hey, u r a good poet…u should do poetry more often…:-)

  15. Ruchi Saraswat says

    Hi ghost , didn”t know that the road less travelled is so dark and dreadful.
    Today I hv two Q for u …
    1. have u ever seen a ghost in real life?? hv u read that short story called ” The ghost who laughed”.
    2. have u ever read “Hope from holocaust” by Victor Frankl ????….. the most brautiful book on hope and trust I ever came across…..

    beautiful story woven in a poem.

  16. Sue says

    vow this one is great FG!

  17. meena sundar says

    nice try… (nothing in this world is too late…take a break and find a new way traveller) :)

  18. Amit Agrawal says

    hmm laut ke buddhu ghar ko aane lage the…lekin huzoor bahut der kar di…..nicely worded one…nice effort at poetry….and nice imagery that u hv woven….:) God bless u