Bear in mind that one man's creepy is another man's laff riot. However, I've always thought that this little bit from Hugh Mearns (aka William Hugh Mearns) was creepier than most any poem I have ever read:
And, perhaps more importantly, will you meet him in other, more private places? And what does he think of meeting you?
So many little questions for such a little poem. As a kid, I had a book of poems with it in it. It's haunted me for years...
Yesterday upon the stairJust thnk about it. You're coming downstairs in your house and meet someone who isn't there. Who is he? What is he? Why is he in your house? What does he want there? Will he go away? Has he always been there? Are there more like him? Is there a way to become like him? Are you starting down that path? Half way there?
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today
I wish that man would go away.
And, perhaps more importantly, will you meet him in other, more private places? And what does he think of meeting you?
So many little questions for such a little poem. As a kid, I had a book of poems with it in it. It's haunted me for years...
5 comments:
I remember reading that poem quite some time ago. It originally creeped me out because I saw "the man who wasn't there" as some aspect of the author haunting himself ala Joanna Pettet in "The House" from "Night Gallery"
Oh, yes. One small note. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (9th ed.) actual lists the final line as:
"I wish, I wish he'd stay away."
There seems to be some question on this from several different sources. This version, though expresses more desperation and is therefore a bit more creepy, in my opinion.
Wiki gives several versions. This one, as I recall, was supposedly the first one. "I wish, I wish..." was listed, but it seemed to imply that it was made for the movie Identity. I wanted the actual and not the made-up, though, on reflection, it sounds more like the way I remember it being.
Long winded explinations aside, I agree. "I wish, I wish..." is by far better.
I always thought it was his shawdow.
Had you only asked
Never even considered it being his shadow.
Clearly I have an overactive imagination.
Not that that's a bad thing...
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