That night
the moon was cold,
the rattling wind,
a moody breath
was sullen, sick
and tiptoed close
to death.
You came before me
veiled in silver,
exhaling as
the night you died;
that night
I burned your letters
but I kept the ash
Fernand Khnopff
A little quadrille ghost story for you tonight. The word is ghost and Sarah hosts at dVerse.
October 18, 2021
Björn Rudbergs writings 
This is a beautiful. Deep and sad.
It’s beautiful❤
A perfectly haunting ghost story just right for the season!
Oh, this is haunting and mysterious, yet done with such a light touch. Lovely.
How hauntingly sad and evocative of the emotion of grief. Well done Bjorn.
Oh, yeah; haunting but not spooky. Treasure those ghostly ashes, BR.
Haunting indeed. And the burning to ash, as if a way to ward off any haunting.
This is deliciously dark and haunting, Bjorn! I love the image; “veiled in silver, exhaling as the night you died,”.. an Octoberish feel to this poem 💝💝
Luv the surprise at the end line where i was able to exhale
Thanks for dropping by to read mine
Much💜love
Keeping the ash of the burned love letters of the deceased is a wicked trophy of murder. A truly haunting tale!
The depth of love is so felt here…..I burned your love letters but I kept the ash.
There’s just a touch of gothic spookiness here. I love that, Björn–and the creepy image!
“I burned your letters but kept the ash” is a wonderful line, FULL of poetry.
yeah, I agree with Chris… and also – it makes me wonder… what did he do with her body if even the letters were worthy of turning to ash and keeping?
❤
David
Reliving the last night?
Provocative and deeply emotional – the closing is absolute and (almost) wretched, but in a most elegant feeling/way – it speaks with both a bitter tongue and yet one equally honey-tipped; such is the translation and transmutation of Love.
great last line .very gothic
Really great quadrille! It took me on a journey but maybe he needs to let the ashes go as well…
I love that last line! What an excellent piece!
I like how the emotions of a past love creep up in ghostly form and in the physical as ash. Great write!
I adore a good ghost story, even more so when that ghost is beloved.
So very Gothic, yet a touch of Poe, and some romantic echoes that rise
from the passionate ashes of deceased love letters.
That ending is a gut punch
I agree with the others. This was definelty a haunting piece. Very timely with Halloween approaching. Nicely done.
It is amazing how much power you manage to get from very simple words simply laid out Bjorn!
This poem is defibitely for autumn, and of course is about autumn itself should one wish it so…
Apologies for the typo…definitely
I leave my comment to your poem here, since I cannot comment on Medium… The sickening scenes of mob rule makes me wonder what will happen with Afghanistan.
Thanks, yes…sorry, having some difficulty choosing the right site for me but commenting here good.
Wonderfully chilling – love story and ghost story woven into a haunting.
Wonderful! Especially those last lines.
I wonder where this idea came from of keeping ashes. We do it with people too.
Skillful imagery and a mood of haunting that is all pervasive.Even the wind and air are sickened, and the burning that brings ash still leaves us cold. A complete gothic tale in 44, here, Bjorn.
a ghostly keepsake of haunted disintegration (K)
Deeply moving…the image of saving the ash from the burnt letters.
Such a haunting tale, and sometimes ash is all that we have.
Oooh, that sickly breath and how we can’t bear to read the letters or let the ashes go. So eerie and wonderful. Love this one.
A haunting and dark ghost story. An enjoyable read
Hank
The figurative language here (moon tiptoeing close to death) is as riveting as the concrete imagery (letters, ash) and shocks us into a deliciously gothic awareness . So well done, Bjorn.
pax,
dora