Your hands were always cold, my dear,
Despite temperature and weather,
The only time they warmed, my dear,
Was when we were together,
When you put your arms around my waist
And intertwined your fingers.
I can feel your breath upon my cheek,
The scent of you still lingers,
But now there’s only icy hands,
The rest of you has vanished:
I can’t forget that dreadful night,
The Christmas Eve you perished.
Kim M. Russell, 2016
– Natalia Drepina
My response to Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #144, also shared on Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Tuesday Platform
A Victorian-style poem about a Christmas ghost.
writing in north norfolk 
Great poem — icy-hot and flushed with memory while the cold flakes fall. Somehow all of us have encountered this ghost — the Christmas we lost long ago.
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Thanks Brendan!
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You wove such a tender and true feeling image of love that gives the end a terrible poignancy. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
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Thank you, Rommy!
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To perish in the icy loss, the vanishing is extremely cruel, A heartfelt write,
Warm Wishes
much love…
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Thank you, Gillena!
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A haunting and beautiful verse.
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So sad. Haunting, to lose a loved one on Christmas Eve.
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Sherry.
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A macabre and melancholy tale.
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Thanks Kerry.
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Beautifully created; flawless.
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Thank you, Rosemary.
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Holidays are about family past and present – but to lose one on a holiday… can’t imagine. Evocative way to write this poem – hands to me are very personal and communicate far more than we know.
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Yes – hands are used for so much expression.
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This, “my dear”, is deliciously creepy. The tone is so ominous, it makes you want to look over your shoulder… while wondering about cold hands.
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I love creepy!
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The focus on those cold hands, it could be ghosts but even more haunting if it’s not.
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I like the idea of a ghost.
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What perfect words for the image. Such pain, and lingering melancholy fill the piece.
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Thank you, Susie!
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How sad! Had thought initially of a loved one missed rather than remembering of a ghost. Great play to the pic prompt, Kim!
Hank
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Hank!
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Your form fits the subjct perfectly. The rhyme and cadence does make me think of Victorian times, as you said.
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Thank you for reading and commenting!
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Oh my goodness.
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