An Amiable Apparition

In the old city of St. John's,
in the older neighborhoods,
there are haunted houses...
residences with revenants... 
apartments with apparitions...
even schools with spectres;
and there is one edifice with an eidolon
that I know well:
a softhearted shadow
very benevolent,
not at all maleficent.

It is supposedly the ghost of a child
who passed many years before;
a tale from days of yore
not well-known in local folklore.

This ghost is known to close
latches, doors and windows,
as if the occupants are being told
"Please keep out the damp and cold!" -
a phenomenon inexplicable
by a force completely invisible.

Some years ago, I observed this first-hand
and I'm sure I did not fully understand,
but I quickly deduced that it would be most
polite to say "Thank you" to the ghost -
a sudden burst of intuition
to please and placate this amiable apparition!
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024

Poem

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M  Avatar
October 25, 2024 at 3:21 AM
Hi Jim….what an interesting and engaging write…l was disappointed it ended! Ha….Debx
M  Avatar
October 25, 2024 at 6:39 AM
Yep it is Jim…and a lil bit scary Ha! Debx
Healey Avatar
October 25, 2024 at 6:15 AM
Hi, Deb. The actual story is I was entering the living room of this house and the French doors that led into that room slowly and inexplicably shut behind me. My host was in the kitchen. She had told me some months before about the ghost, so I just said "Thank you" (directed at the ghost, of course!) and then sat down. Wild, isn't it?!!
Dietrich Avatar
October 23, 2024 at 12:37 PM
This is so charming. Good work, Jim.
Healey Avatar
October 23, 2024 at 12:40 PM
Thank you, Andrea. Always appreciated. Take care. Jim
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