The lighthouse of ghosts

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Cape Schack lighthouse, Victoria
The Cape Schanck lighthouse is still full of ghosts
of keepers passengers and sailors who died on this coast
as white as the thick walls through which they keen
they swirl through the tower only glimpsed never seen
forever unsettled by tragedy at the mercy of storms
restless air is chilled by their cold empty forms
even when the wind is warm and the wide strait is calm
they struggle with their violent cruel death and its legacy of harm
remembering loved ones left behind who grieved at the cost
ghosts grieve for futures never had to the sea that were lost

today's lively visitors to the lighthouse one and all
never leave without hearing a whisper or a ghostly call
when they climb the spiral steps to look at the view 
they hold loved ones closer against a chill as if they knew
each of the ghost stories from each deep watery grave
all stop a sad shivered moment with the souls never saved
then they return to their homes families and friends
departing a ghastly lighthouse dance that never ends

My response to The Skeptic’s Kaddish W3 prompt. Make sure you read Dennis Johnstone’s and Nancy Richy’s two wonderful poems included.

W3 Prompt #203: Wea’ve Written Weekly

27 thoughts on “The lighthouse of ghosts”

  3. Your poem reminds me that lighthouses are strange places really. It makes sense that souls lost at sea would accumulate there. You’ve got me thinking about this more than I expected. Thanks for that! Nicely done 👏

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  4. Sean, apologies for the delay. I’m not having the best week (actually month) health wise and am also trying to complete a major poetic project. I also like to read each poem a few times.

    You’ve created a strong, consistent atmosphere with your poem. The sense of place and the lingering presence of the past came across clearly. The lighthouse feels inhabited. More, it feels like an active setting. You could build on it further by bringing in what the lighthouse does as a beacon, so that sense of haunting connects more directly to its guiding role.

    Thanks for responding to the prompt.

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    • Sorry to learn you have been unwell. A major poetic project sounds interesting. I hope your health doesn’t impact negatively on such an undertaking. I agree the lighthouse is an active setting. In fact you discover several ways it is so when you visit. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

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  5. Sean your poem is an atmospheric and sensory piece that captures the duality of Cape Schanck – rugged coastal beauty versus its history as a ‘graveyard’ for those at sea. 🙌

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  11. Aww.. this is brilliant. The guard of a storied past, and yet in a monet of contemplation, one can hear the stories the lighthouse wishes to tell.
    A little spooky as well.
    Loved your response to the prompt, Sean

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