Cathar Castle

A poem, a poet’s note and a poetry writing prompt

Cathar castle, France © Sherryl Clark

the wind slips through gaping windows
sunlight warms the tangled stones
I wait for ghosts, watch shadows lengthen
under the broken walls

I am in a fortress of my own heart,
bursting with ancient lore and
ninety-seven hewn rock steps,
longing to be alone

my hands cling to granite
the flimsy ropes pinned to the cliffside
to stop me plummeting
my head spins

this is not me; I am subsumed
by villagers and soldiers and crying children
this last refuge so high above
their enemies

the sky folds down to meet me
the earth expands; silence now is a craving
the resonance of stone in slivers
under my skin.

Photo by Josipa Juras on Unsplash