Fantasy - Unexpected Journey

By Ray Schaufeld

Thu, 20 Feb 2014
  • 4762 reads
14 comments
 
Why walk you here by tree and well
Jeannie what are you doing here?
I come down here to be myself
Johnnie why do you follow so near.
 
The well sinks deep, you may fall in
Jeannie what are you doing here?
Eels quiver, waterboatmen spin
Johnnie why do you follow so near.
 
Sun burns, wind chills, my leave I'll take
Jeannie what are you doing here?
I'll drain my cup, I'll cut my cake
Johnnie why do you follow so near.
 
I'll drain your draught, I'll chew your cake
Jeannie what are we doing here?
Beware watch out for the spotted snake
Johnnie why do you follow so near.
 
One bit twice shy, we need not cry
Jeannie what are we doing here?
Don't cry don't moan we're out on our own
Johnnie we're here where the well drops sheer.
 
We were never away what's real was play
What's play is real my darling dear.
How does real feel when atoms peel
When fear feels queer and truth is here?
 
My skin's flayed red, pain creaks my head
Rocks rip my feet, the crevice lies near
Breathe in to Life, Life's never dead
Day follows night, the way is clear.
 
Red whispers the dawn, I see the path
And ankle deep the foggy dew.
Hold fast and scorn the Banshee's laugh
Chat to the gulls, there's only us two.
 
I sometimes feel like speckled gull
I sometimes feel like spotted snake.
Whilst birds take wing I'll laugh and sing
I'll drain my cup, I'll cut my cake.
 
And hand to hand throughout the land
We'll venture turning wrong to right
And heel to toe we'll merry go
Round dusk to dawn round dark to light.
 
   And joining hands throughout the land
   Our merry song we'll sing my friends
      Singing a merrry song. 
 
 
 
 
Certificate PG
Poem
Lost and found
Travel
Fantasy
Nature

Comments

Submitted by Bee on

Hi Elsie. 

Lovely words / lyrics I read it to the tune of 'Jock o' Hazeldean.

Enjoyed.

Bee

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Cheers. Nice suggestion, Jock  of Hazeldean does start a bit like that...   Elsie

Submitted by torscot on

Hello Elsie.

With bee on your little tale,  plus  "Jock of Hazeldean"  is a real treat when sung by the Corries, ( Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne)

And thanks for the  " Recovery Devon" link,  I have passed it on to others.

Regards

torscot

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Thanks for reading and the rest.  I like the song when Dick Gaughan sings it too    Elsie

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Elsie

This is a wonderful poem. It starts out gentle and gradually becomes a little worrying, then it goes into the scary bits, and then back again to the gentle. I'll bet it was well received at your reading.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

I'm so glad you liked my ballad and followed the journey. I have written it for our next meeting in a month's time and I may try it out at a poetry event this Sunday in Exeter         Elsie

Submitted by scratch on

I'd not read this of yours elsie, can't understand how I missed it.  A good one too, well done.

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Cheers scratch, I love ballads, the simple rhymes, the signs and symbols out there in Nature and also situated in the back of our minds;  it's all there for us to play with  smiley      Elsie

Submitted by celticman on

It does seem very lyrical.

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Cheers. CM. As I said in my intro, my local writing group likes poetry to rhyme and they also like cheerful stuff. I'm sure if I was Pam Ayres they would think all their Christmasses had come at once. They are mainly women over 70 and they write some good reminiscence pieces. Often I am the only one who brings a poemsmiley      Elsie

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on

Like scratch, I was late getting to the party but I.m more than glad I came.  Much enjoyed, elsiesmiley

Tina

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Cheers Tina. I entered the Bard of Exeter competition on Sunday. We had to write a brief manifesto of what we would do in our year and a day as Bard and then do up to 7 minutes. I read Dave's Booking-in Notes first because the story is situated 5 minutes walk away from the Bike Shed Theatre where the contest took place and followed it with this one as it makes a good contrast read-aloud piece.

Daniel Haynes, the winner deserved to win. He used his voice very well and took us on a literal and psychic map journey all round Exeter and Dartmoor, holding me spellbound throughout. Myself and the other 2 contestants Susan and Tim did well too. There were about 50 people listening, where did they all come from(!) and it was a fun friendly atmosphere.

Here is my manifesto:

Much poetry started out as song, the Bards with their Ballads. As Bard of Exeter I would welcome all poetry and song from Exeter and the surrounding area, being mindful that Exeter is a port served by the river Exe, from Exmouth to the Quays and that talent dwells all along the line.

I love poetry of time and place; today's, centuries past, poetry of happiness, poetry of pain, poetry that holds and sustains a single mood and emotion, poetry that plays around with many. Poetry and song can keep our feet on the ground and they can take wing and fly - it's all there for us to play with.

Now and forever.

All the best        Elsie

 
 

Submitted by Linda Wigzell Cress on

A lovely ballad Elsie.  Just my sort of thing.  Most enjoyable.

Linda

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Thanks for reading. I love ballads. At primary school we learnt a lot of nineteenth and early twentieth century ballad-style storytelling poetry and music. It was openhearted and easy for everyone to follow and respond to. Poems such as Meg Merrilees 'Old Meg she was a gypsy' and the song 'Along with the raggle taggle gypsies o'. We often think of the Victorians  as very straight-laced. Maybe the multitude of lyrics from that era about gypsies, sailors, fairies and witches was their dreaming time.          Elsie