He is alone in Krimpley House
playing vampire beats on the piano
around the dark winged instrument
the walls recede…
Upon the decaying oriental rug
the shells of insects
turn to dust
the windows breathe heavily
beneath the drapes of time
and lean toward the tilt
of a groaning, crumbling foundation
Do not go gentle into ruin, dear house
it’s rather like the old man, aging and stoic
alive in the corners of time
with every creak of a chair-worn intrusion
Epochs come and go
amid piano strains
tempest winds beat the house
clutching to tear it apart
at the very seams
The music meanders, seduces
seeps into the patterns of the rug
pumps stale blood
through its corridor veins
in honest horror
Krimpley house breathes
for centuries more…
Love this L.T!
Thanks Holly!
Well, it’s a spooky house, I suppose someone has to play the piano!
We must have music!
Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site and commented:
By a great lady named Lana.
Thanks John π
You are very graciously welcome.
This really caught my attention… lovely piece, Lana. π
Thank you, Iris π
My pleasure, Lana π
I’m definitely not a poetry expert, but I LOVE this! The visuals are breathtaking and now I want to know more about Krimpley House!
Thank you so much! I find poetry a bit intimidating and difficult, but I keep practicing π Krimpley House just came to me one day after I had listened to students practicing their piano lessons, ha ha. You just never know what an inspiration music can be. It would be nice to possibly generate a Krimpley House story, I may have to go back and hang out with the kids for awhile! Thanks again for your gracious comment π
Excellent. This line is my favorite “The music meanders, seduces
seeps into the patterns of the rug
pumps stale blood
through its corridor veins
in honest horror”
And making the house “like an old man, aging and stoic”
Thank you so much for reading and for your gracious comments!
Is Krimpley House real or made up? You do so well with these creepy other-worldly pieces that I wonder if you spend your nights prowling about these sites, hanging out with ghosts and vampires and all…. You really captured the old Gothic house feeling for me with this one.
Thanks Pauline! Krimpley House is fiction. It’s funny, I’ve always been fascinated with ghost stories, I like watching the Dead Files on Saturday nights; otherwise, I would have to credit my older sister for having dragged me to frightening movies that scared the life out of me when I was a child π
I like it π
Thank you, Gyslaine!
Nicely spooky and I like the homage to Dylan Thomas π
Thanks Derrick! I guess I don’t have to tell you that I’m a huge admirer of Dylan Thomas’ poetry π
Certainly not π
Oh to be able to impersonate Vincent Price and read this out loud by candle light at Halloween and scare the living daylights out of probably me. I’m sorry to bang on about your brilliance, LT so to balance things a little… I wasn’t taken by the song.
But the POEM!!!! Just transported me right there π
Thank you, Phil. Vincent Price was so spooky and thrilling for sure. You weren’t keen on the song? Did you see the movie Lost Boys? It was one of my 1980s favorites π
I haven’t seen it and the song probably just sat in the poem’s shadow. It’s probably a grower π
Wonderfully gothic! Loved this, Lana. π
Thank you so much, Diana! This came to me one day during piano class when the students were playing away on their pianos π
This one’s definitely spooky!
Just a tad bit, Debbie π
I love this: “itβs rather like the old man, aging and stoic / alive in the corners of time” I like Time having corners, it’s almost always portrayed as linear or circular. I laughed at your comment about this being inspired by kids piano lessons… and wondered what they are learning… Minor chords? The funeral march? Nicely done. I felt surrounded by creepiness. π
Thanks so much, Joan! I believe they were learning Minor chords, but of course, I have a quite vivid imagination, ha ha. Originally I began writing about the weird dude playing the piano, but the house just took over. Glad you liked the creepiness π
Oh Lana, this is terrific, you’ve created a wonderfully haunted spooky feel to this piece. Love this section:
‘The music meanders, seduces
seeps into the patterns of the rug
pumps stale blood
through its corridor veins’
I’m reading this at an apt time with the piano tuner working away next door, the tones left ringing, repeating! Not a house I’d enter!π
Thank you, Annika π It rather started out with writing about the man playing the piano, but then the house just took over. Perfect piano timing for your reading it. Music is so inspirational, isn’t it?
Isn’t it wonderful when a piece of writing can surprisingly take you somewhere unexpected, even to yourself?!π