Walls in ruins,
battlements unarmed,
so much has been lost
to time and memory
Once my home,
where I walked these dark halls
with majesty and purpose,
lord of my castle,
king of my dominion,
master of all I beheld
1568, such a sectarian time,
the sisters of regency,
caught twix’t faith and blood,
lost to honour and pride
that waged fear and hate,
dividing a land in belief
Wary of scary Mary,
captive by order of the crown,
unseen as Beth rises
to the throne of England
as the syphilitic King
lies cold in the earth,
a tyrant
that spawned two queens,
deadlocked
in a sibling rivalry
of such deadly apportionment
Did I do right by my country?
Did I do all that I could do?
Alas, I fear not, lest why else
would I be forever destined
to walk these castle halls
amidst the phantoms
and spectres
of purgatory’s hand,
a mere apparition
forsaken of death’s
sublime embrace,
a simple curiosity
that chills the minds
and souls of living hearts…
Please forgive me…
Author notes
Pic prompt...
Pic: Bolton Castle by Lexie...
In a list
A contest entry
- Picture prompt by Lexie -.
400 points, ended May 27, 6 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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fantastic
nice one dude.....cant imagine wanting to live in those times -
Yes, I just checked him out on Wikipaedia. Sounds like he was very involved in the politics and activities of the day, and it sounds like he died in bed. That might take some doing then!
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Indeed
Lol!
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Sir Francis Knollys. Not sure how he fits into all of this but obviously important. Did he lose his head? I will have to do some research.
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Hi there,
In 1568 Sir Francis Knollys was sent to Carlisle to take charge of Mary, Queen of Scots, who had just fled from Scotland; afterward he was in charge of the Queen during her confinement at Bolton Castle... Hope that helps...
Thank you for your kind words, very much appreciated...
Take care,
Fritz........
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Chills! That was a fascinating time in history, daggers drawn between Bloody Mary and the future Good Queen Bess. Two formidable women though I think Mary might have been influenced by hubby, Philip of Spain.
Great write.
I am not sure who you're referring to here but it mades my think of Ann Boleyn, who "walks the bloody tower". I know it's not her though.
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Another one of your very good ideas Fritz. Who knows if he doesn't really walk and wonder there. There is quite a bit of that castle still intact that this photo doesn't show. Those stairs were so narrow and small that one wonders how short and slim people were in those days with all that clothes on, women in long robes and dresses and men in armour, how the heck did they get up and down them? Wonderful places for inspiring thoughts of past events and hauntings.
Sheila
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Mariana is right
it does look like a goblet
How awesome is that?!!!
This has everything that I love about
your style of writing-
(too many to list)
I found myself
lost in your words, as you unveiled this
haunting tale, in a voice of yesteryear.I felt as if I were roaming the castle halls
I felt the loneliness and the despair...
It is picture perfect!
BOOKMARKED!
Thank you for sharing
and best wishes in
the contest!
~Pastel
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Once again you have done excellent.
Captivating and you have penned a
intriguing picture. Well done.
Thanks for another inspiring shrare.
Good luck in the contest.
Aleshia
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I don't believe this. I was going to post you the link to this contest. It has your name all over it
Your words are rich with imagery. This is amazing. Good luck in the contest.
Mariana
PS/...I like the shape of the second half of the poem...it looks like a goblet...a goblet filled with the blood of lost souls.
[Did I write that ^^^...I fear one of dem ghosties jest took over my body...
]
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