Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, HAUNTED ISLAND, by CLIFFORD GESSLER


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

HAUNTED ISLAND, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: There is a haunted island in the sea
Last Line: Come on the northern wind, the bird of death.
Subject(s): Hawaii


There is a haunted island in the sea:
I have sat in a house woven of leaves, at midnight,
and heard the old-folk chant to the ancient dead
by the low flame, and the spirits hovered around us
and the children stirred, on the mats, as they slept in the shadows.

And my own dead walked with me on that island,
walking in dreams, and spoke with the voice of dreams,
speaking the language of that ancient land.

I have heard the voice of the ringoringo bird
in the chill of night, as the wind rattled the palm fronds:
the ringoringo, bird of the Great Darkness,
come from the Night to the still streets of the village,
come on the northern wind, the bird of death.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net