The Haunted
there is this theory
that unfinished business
keeps spirits on earth
but we had no unfinished business
so I don’t know why
I’m haunting him
<>
it wasn’t my intention
to haunt anybody
when death fit me like a glove
I thought
this is it
I can take it easy
let myself relax
so this new dimension
can give me whatever shape I need
I don’t have to think
of who I am
what to do
I can be nothing
<>
I welcomed the loss of self
only to discover
him
he was holding
onto more than a memory of me
we were merely familiar
with each other
as far as I knew
affectionate
not emotionally invested
to the point
where I would haunt him
<>
showing up hovering
behind him
in a shower steamed mirror
gone before he could turn around
<>
I didn’t want to be there
he’s not the one
I’d pick to haunt either
it would be you
I love this piece. I love a good ghost story too. The ‘rules’ of the ghost world tie them to places, tie them the particular people (or their relatives), tie them to some sort of emotional connection. I’ve written a couple of ghost pieces where I try to find a different angle on the trope.
I’ve read stories where objects are haunted – i.e. the dead man’s shoes that give the wearer visions of his murderer. One author has written a series about the spirit of a dead detective that solves cases for the living. I have one I wrote where a guy hooks up with another guy whose dick is haunted by a deceased boyfriend.
The best ghosts are the ones the reader/viewer doesn’t realize are ghosts until the very end as in The Sixth Sense. Also enjoy ones where you are never sure if their is a ghost as in The Haunting. Was it a ghost or was it a trick of an unbalanced mind?
Ghosts always seem to want something – to warn you, revenge, completion so they can move on, your energy so they can remain on this plane. Rarely have I come across ghosts who don’t want express some sense of purpose. So this piece is about a ghost looking for a purpose.
TOpoet 