THE INNOCENTS
My new charges
Miles and Flora
delightful children
sweet happy cherubs
are playing by the lake
Flora is singing
a sad haunting little song
"Who taught you that my darling?"
I ask
" Miss Jessel" she replies.
Miles smirks and his face contorts
supercilious and cruel momentarily
It is the face pressed to my window last night
Perturbed, I walked to the summer house
and watched them from a distance
A slight breeze from nowhere
catches my scarf winding it tightly
around my neck and veils my face.
Through gauze, I see them both
speaking to an imaginary figure
At first,I think it's a game
And then, a goose walks over my grave
I think of all the whispering
soft echoes in the corridors
I think of the excessive politeness
the disingenuous concern
I think of the knowing unsettling looks
well beyond their years when Miss Jessel
and Mr.Quint are mentioned
I think of the mysterious slamming of doors
sobbing in the middle of the night
I think of Mrs Grose , the housekeeper
becoming agitated and turning pale when the
candles flicker inexplicably at supper time
I think of Miss Jessel, my predecessor and her fate
My heart is pounding
I know I am in danger
I know I must flee
Now
before it is too late
A good deal more readable than the original! I looked the film up on Wiki. I didn't know Truman Capote had a hand in the screenplay. I wonder why the director thought James's title was inappropriate. BBC UK kept the title for its 2009 Christmas drama, but shifted the time-frame to some short time after the First World War.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder of the film.
I saw this film when I was at school and still remember the haunting song. Although I never knew the name of it until I wrote this poem.
ReplyDeleteTurn of the Screw is very eerie indeed. Britten's opera is haunting too. You managed to convey all of its unsettling nature in your poem!
ReplyDeleteThank you Derrick.
ReplyDeleteIt was eerie reading the story and it's eerie reading the poem. You captured the spirit of the tale.
ReplyDeleteYummy good job.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen it in decades, so I don't remember much, but I like your scarf scene "through gauze, I see them both"--evocative.
Probably one of the 10 basic plots, because it works.
Thanks Barbara and Linda. I think it was voted one of the 50 best horror movies ( I read that somewhere!)
ReplyDeleteThis is very good!
ReplyDeletecaricatures of vultures
And do get aboard the Poetry Train every Monday
mornings and thereafter!
You managed to work so much plot into this truly scary poem. My heart is thumping in terror, so it has achieved its intended effect!
ReplyDeleteHmmm I think thy tongue lies well in thine cheek,
ReplyDeleteMistress Mary:)
Thanks Triptoes, I'll check it out!
Oh, those children. Delightfully frightful.
ReplyDeleteA lot of my friends' children were frightful and not delightful. They have all grown up now and have frightful children of their own. My own children of course, were delightful and perfectly behaved :)
ReplyDelete