In long-gone days, the wraith
came at my beckoning, materialising clear
as a leaf in a clean running stream
brightly clad in nature's hues
With wings of light
she'd flitter through fields
greeting trees, spinning
in whirling dervish twirls
till balance failed
and
she fell
helpless with glee
revelling in endless freedom
I watched her mount the Oak,
childish fingers clutching ever slimmer limbs
climbing
high
higher
Taunting a fleeting theory of God
challenging death
placing her feet
on the flimsiest twig
willing the wood to take her weight
even as she dared it to defy
her credence
that her breath
would never cease
Frozen in time, the child
remains forever nine
When the world growls and bites I call her
and she arrives.
She always shows
consoling me through the years
with her reminder of joy
Time breathes mist over my eyes
and leads my senses toward a vacuum, yet still
from time to time
my wraith twists through
the claws of time
lending me memories
of crowning days. Her margins
have long since blended into the landscape,
her flesh faded to grey
evaporating into smoke
Her diaphanous wisp
floats over fields and streams
beside my childhood home; the ghost
of the child who was me
and I recall
that once upon a time
I felt immortal
and believed I was free
©Jane Paterson Basil
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Hei Jane, finding this was a bit like reconnecting with a good friend in the pre pandemic days. Hope you are all well
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How are you Raili? We are all ecstatic, thank you. A couple of weeks ago we welcomed a new family member into our fold – Laura gave birth to a lovely little girl. After six grandsons I finally have a granddaughter!
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Oh, so happy for you !! Enjoy the sugar and spice that all little ladies bring into the world with them
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We are all doing Ok here. Despite all things that the pandemic has lobbed into our lives. We live a leisurely retirement. Mornings are filled with breafast, daily paper reading. For me the crosswords. I have yet to master Sudoku or cryptic puzzles.
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Isn’t it odd that despite all the extra time on our hands, we spend less time on our blogs…
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Delayed response here… yes! I was just having a stroll through various bloggers’ sites I used to connect with so regularly. Most of them have disappeared down the rabbit hole to god knows where. So here I am, loosely connecting to you as I sit and ponder the state of our world. …. take good care of yourself and your loved ones Jane.
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