Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Sleepless Hills

John Quidor, “The Headless Horseman Pursing Ichabod Crane”  

 I lost my head through no fault of my own
just a case of being in the wrong place
alone at night when the moon is full blown
rising from the shadows seeking my face

riding my steed through the sleepless hills
holding a fiery pumpkin as my light
autumnal northern winds bring ghostly chills
Halloween night ripe with seasonal fright

galloping throughout the land of the dead
chasing strangers who go into the woods
for eternal rest, the quest is my head
be wary of thunderous thumping hooves

revenge is an evil force when untamed
especially, when one's head is unclaimed

dVerse Poetics - hosted by Merril 
the challenge to write a poem about some version of the headless horseman. It’s your chance to escape reality. Base your poem on one of the folktales or create your own tale or urban legend. 

thank you for your visit  

10 comments:

  1. What perfect flow and an entire story captured wonderfully in verse - Jae

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  2. Excellent capture of the plight of the headless horseman. Well done!!

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  3. I love the image of a fiery pumpkin as the rider's light. Cool.

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  4. This is such a great tale, True .... seamlessly written and guaranteed to haunt my dreams tonight!

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  5. Great Haloween story in verse
    Thanks for dropping by my.blog

    Much♡love

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  6. I feel so sorry for the poor horseman now... I hope he finds his head one day

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  7. I love that you wrote from the standpoint of the headless horseman, Truedessa, and captured the whole story in your poem. These lines are so atmospheric:
    ‘riding my steed through the sleepless hills
    holding a fiery pumpkin as my light
    autumnal northern winds bring ghostly chills’.

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  8. A perfect Halloween poem 🙌

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  9. That was quite fun! Great rendition of the story.

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  10. Such a wonderful perspective and great imagery--and a lesson, too

    "revenge is an evil force when untamed"

    Like Björn, I feel a bit sorry for this headless horseman, too.

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