Dead Men Tell No Lies

A man see's a fortune teller...

It’s upon the jaded bed of death

You’ll find this awful confession

Malingering on dog smelling breath.

                       

I went to see the local fortune teller

They said she was the best

She promised dreams and fancy things

But for me, she foretold death.

 

To see a dead man walking

Isn’t common place

Nor was the look

Upon her withered face.

 

Recollecting her composure

The gypsy masked her fear

As she told the most amazing fable

That clung to my growing ears.

 

“I see you’ve got a problem.

Good thing you’ve come to me.

First, you must atone

For all your wretched sins;

To leave a life behind

Without saying goodbye,

Will leave a scar worse than the one

Your perpetrator left on your thigh.

 

By dancing as nature intended

Under the first full moon

You will embrace all that is due.

 

Then...when that is done…

Well...dead man...

 

You must write it in your blood.

The story of how you came to be

The dead wolf warrior you were born to be.”

 

I thought the woman mad

As she stared at me with pride

But there was something carnal

Burning in her eyes.

 

I should have never gone to see that woman

Every word she said came true!

And my blood is now the legacy

That proves without a doubt,

Dead men tell no lies.

 

 

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. This one was an experiment of sorts....thoughts?

Reviews

[s y e]

Ooooh! I am a massive thriller/ horror / mystery fan so I adored this! I love how you leave us hanging, it's like not finished but it is! And I'm like 'Uuuugh! Kristin Nooooooo' hahaha, I loved it!

~ Noodle.

[Kristin Lee]

:) Perfect! Just the reaction I was looking for!

[s y e]

Ha! Aren't you nice! :P The answer's YES!

[redflutterby]

I'm a huge horror fan so anything dark appeals to me. I definitely like this and it leaves you hanging..you know he died but the full details aren't revealed. Good job. ;-)

[Kristin Lee]

Thank you so much :)

[Cool Handless Luke]

Some nice imagery here Kristin. It does remind me of the old shadowed and grainy boris karloff (careful now - showing my age!) you get the scary without the over the top blood and guts lust and horror they have out nowadays. Has an epic feel to it. Nice work.

[Kristin Lee]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate that :)

[Angi]

This piece feels old timey to me. I picture the gypsy in an old tent of some kind. Flames burning, wolves howling and blood. There is a story here, Kristin! Angi~

[Kristin Lee]

Thank you :) I've been sitting on several rewrites of this poem for days. I finally decided to post this version and see what input came out of it.

[Angi]

He is a wolf warrior, with a scar on his thigh. The full moon makes me think he will turn...my mind is running with werewolves tonight!

[Parsimony]

I luv anecdotal poems. It was a forewarning and a prophecy come true. Part story, part legend mostly snope.

[Kristin Lee]

Thank you very much

[Traci]

Wow!! You should experiment more often, this was such a well penned tales, with great imagery. You painted a perfect picture as the scene unfolded. And your closing line was .... just wow, I'm speechless. Job well done, one of your best :)

[Kristin Lee]

Thank you very much. I appreciate that :)

[icelandicblue]

A very riveting tale you've told here. I felt the goosebumps.

[Kristin Lee]

Thanks so much :)