There is no lonelier spot
than the castle on the moors,
hung over with scudding cloud
where a lone tattered crow soars.
As it guards the castle gate
it utters raucous caws,
eyeing the path with a shiny eye
while sharpening beak and claws
to pick at the first stars of twilight,
a shadow unzipping the night.
The crow was once the familiar
of a woman both beautiful and rich,
and everyone had accused her
of being a powerful witch.
The locals erected a stake and pyre
where they tied her with her crow
and set them both on fire.
Their souls melded together
and they flew as a single black bird
to guard the castle forever.
Kim M. Russell, 2nd September 2019
My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Wordy Monday with Wild Woman: Castle Ruins, Lowering Skies… Tell us a Story!
Sherry is taking a page out of Magaly’s book this Monday and asks us to tell a story in in either poetry or prose, and in 313 words or less, which is inspired by the Moors, the lowering skies, the ruins of a castle, the ghosts of times long past, the phantom tinkling of a piano…
writing in north norfolk 
Whew, nailed it Kim. What a great spell of verbal water into myth. Would love to hear more.
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Thanks Brendan.
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I LOVE this, Kim! So atmospheric, such a vivid scene you paint – and then the perfection of their souls merging into the crow guardian of the castle gates. I absolutely love it!
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Thank you, Sherry! I stated with a crow on a castle gate a s didn’t have a clue where it would take me. The poem mostly wrote itself.
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This is deliciously dark and riveting, Kim! ❤️ I especially love the closing image; “Their souls melded together and they flew as a single black bird to guard the castle forever.” 🙂
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Thank you, Sanaa! ❤
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A sad tale. But she and the crow melded together to guard the castle “forever more”.
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I suppose it’s a happy ending of sorts; it would have been lonely for the crow with only one soul, but it has a companion soul to keep it company. I think it might weave a few spells too!
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I think so too!
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Castles are a money pit these days. I’m glad the low maintenance crow is guarding guarding yours.
..
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I have a fondness for corvids, there’s a lot of mythology attached to them. Some people are scared of them, especially the larger birds, but I enjoy their antics.
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Black birds particularly Crows and Ravens always seem to understand us more than other birds so I am pretty sure we have a history with them. Loved your story Kim.
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Thank you, Robin.
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So much beneath the words in this, the burning of witches, the way she kept on, and also how she could keep hold of the castle.
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I so enjoy Gothic writing!
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“to pick at the first stars of twilight,
a shadow unzipping the night.
… love this!
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Thank you, Margaret!
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A sad tale, almost certainly true on some level, today as well as in the time of witch-hunting.
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Beautiful! ❤️
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Thank you!
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Wow! I never expected such an intriguing ending. You surely are a skillful magician of words. Great job!🌸
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Thank you kindly!
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