The Lord of Judgement

The lamplighter held his pole up high

And rapped on each window pane,

‘Fix your shutters and pull your blinds,

Prepare for the coming rain.’

His footsteps sharp on the cobblestones

Held everybody in dread,

‘Snuff the candle and say your prayers,

Tomorrow you may be dead!’

 

And the gaslamps gave a flickering glow

In the empty streets and lanes,

While the Moon shone pale through the trees below

Lighting each window pane.

‘Prepare to pay for your darkest sin,

Reflect on the deeds you’ve done,

Sit round the table and, holding hands,

Wait til the storm has come!’

 

Then a wind blew cold through the narrow streets,

With the sharp, cold sting of rain,

And in the distance the lightning flared

Where the Lord of Judgement came,

And nobody dared to breathe a word

That the monster might come in,

With breath of fire and a flashing sword

In his search for Carolyn.

 

But she sat deep in a dim-lit room

And she held the town in thrall,

Since ever her love in a dismal tomb

Was found, and she blamed them all.

She ringed the town with a purple mist,

They couldn’t get out or in,

And wailed out loud in a mourner’s shroud,

‘You’ll pay for this deadly sin!’

 

Then Carolyn sat by an empty hearth

And arranged a pile of bones,

The skull of somebody once she knew

And a pair of magic stones.

She placed the stones in the socket eyes

And the jaw began to move,

‘If only you’d loved as he loved you,

But your brother disapproved.’

 

She sat herself by the oracle

And listened to what he’d say,

She crossed herself with a hazel twig

And the skull looked old and grey.

‘Your brother took him aside one night

As a friend, and said, I quote:

‘It’s sad, so sad, but it has to be,’

Then he turned and cut his throat.’

 

So Carolyn sought her brother out

As he roamed abroad that night,

‘I’m told you murdered my lover, Drew,

Can it be, can that be right?’

‘I only did it to save yourself,

His love would have torn you apart.’

Then Carolyn moaned a dreadful moan,

And stabbed him, deep in the heart.

 

The lightning flashed and the sky lit up

Til it seemed as bright as day,

And the purple mist she had conjured, this

Thinned out, and drifted away.

You’ll see her wander the silent streets

In a shroud, as if she’s lame,

Her tears still running in lines and streaks

Since the Lord of Judgement came.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[ANTO]

Well this is a fine read to return David - it seems so long since I read you and yet not long at all as I immersed in this one. It has all your wonderful hallmarks that even though familiar and maybe expected to an extent by the avid DLP fan (as I am) - it still has the power to invoke the shudder and the Wow! that I have also come to expect from your writing.
Her revenge left her doubly heartbroken - and theres the rub.
Class poetry my friend.

[MomzillaNC]

Brilliant. You weave such a chilling tale of macabre magic and revenge!

[Valentine]

Whew, for once your write gave me the chills. I had 4 brothers and none would have attempted such a heartless thing. Great write. Valentine

[Avinash]

Reminded me a scene from the movie " Scarface". Sometimes siblings could be so possessive they fail to see each other's happiness with different people.

[andrew mitchell]

You have conjured if that's the right word another classic. I loved the imagery and descriptions using cobblestone, windowpanes and lamp-lit to set the mood for a cracker. I tried to do that with my write "That's funny I'm in london" wth the Jack Ripper Days Real Good David

[TPK Stories]

Another great tale. . . DLP!!!!!!

[Devanshu Rajput]

Today there is dark fantasy to amaze me. I liked the concept, I accord with Barbz. I can see the dystopia in front of my eyes by reading this poem of yours.

I was shook,I was moved, I was enthralled, I was horrified and what not.

Again the ending was awesome!

Thanks for sharing!

Devanshu

[alf]

Hi David. The darker side of life escapes your pen!! You create suspense and hold it to the last line. Your lines of imagery keep the reader enthralled and with a tiny piece of the brain working independently to guess the final outcome. Another good write, but you have raised the bar with the Perfect Circle and have a new level to maintain, (lol) alf

[Barbz]

Just imagine, Carolyn having the power to hold the whole town at bay, awaiting the avenger, The Lord of Judgement! Oh what a surprise........imagine, all this dysfunction in her very own life.......Art, imitating Life in so many cases. Great work, DLP......

[Marie]

Murder and more murder...and the ghost of Carolyn to follow. I can just feel that wicked storm coming...