Gormenghast.

A Gothic Romance

Riding a black Heron

Cupping the winged air

And seeing

across setted peaked walls

When high skies are still morning lit

Such is the rushing light coming it has sound

A crepuscular life resonance

That sounds like old waves

From across the world

And the sound of old books speaking to each other

In hidden libraries

With soot blackened covers silhouette dancing

And filigreed torn page shadows

Playing literary games

whilst inventing words

High screaming swift arrowheads are hunting

The smaller errant words as they fly

Whilst stone dragons in sunlight catch flies

And warm cold metallic blood

That leaks from ancient bones

Leaded windows in ruined architecture open

Ivy covered mouths

And catch in their lozenge shapes

The faint rose light from an ancient sun

Iridescent feathers fall

Air drowned

Onto deaths green waters

Green teeth and

Weed choked with

Marauding silver scintillating shapes

Crooked houses and sticklebacked figures

Rise with a ghosting smoke

And crying mist

Into the history of this dying

Lovers chant their mysteries

And dance a galliard lying in

Web stroked beds

And old faded flowers

A croaked paper voice

Sings

And love songs write themselves in the air.

 

Author's Note

Gormenghast is the second book of an incredible gothic fantasy by Mervyn Peake. Titus Groan, Gormenghast and Titus Alone.The first two are amongst my favourite books. I cannot praise them highly enough. Gormenghast is a fantastic gothic pile of a castle that has to be imagined to be believed.
Crespuscular is an animal, insect or bird that is active at dawn or sunset.
The image is mine and is called Dryburgh Abbey

Reviews

[TL Boehm]

life resonance

That sounds like old waves

From across the world

And the sound of old books speaking to each other

In hidden libraries

With soot blackened covers silhouette dancing

And filigreed torn page shadows
I just want to breathe this in. Its writing abundant with lush words - I can smell the books...hear them whisper. Lovely lovely lovely

[Ken Simm.]

Thamk you Tammy. You are too kind.

[Leslie Philibert]

I am very delighted you are such a Mervyn Peake fan, a writer who has never become the credit he deserves, I think a better fantasy writer than Tolkien. Great.
And very fine too your poem, I think you have excellently recreated the feeling of the books !

[Ken Simm.]

Didn't get to mention my favourite part, the horse in the field of stones amongst the roof tops far away. I agree with you about Peake and Tolkien. Such a film they could make of the first two books now. He was also a consumate artist as well. Thank you so much Leslie.

[Sami Khalil]

A great ode to a great book of gothic fantacy written by an excellent quill with great imagery...Lovely cascading words off the page...:)

[Ken Simm.]

Thank you Sami. Have you read this?

[Ken Simm.]

I mean the book Gormenghast of course.

[Sami Khalil]

No really. I will one day check it...Take care...:)
Do you know what happened to Rogue by the way ?