His sweaty hands searched
Not a single penny in his pockets
Checked around to withdraw cash
Took out his card
He swiped it twice in the machine
Still nothing
What was wrong?
He blinked trying to clear his mind
It had been a long week
Although he had slept for two whole days, he still needed to rest
In mind, body, spirit
Kicking at the machine he turned away
Walking in the sidewalk which never seemed to end
Finding a corner, he sat down
Curling into a ball
Why did he not feel a thing when a dog sat down on top of him?
"Did he not know he was a ghost now?"
Nice twist Gautami!
ReplyDeleteI liked the twist at the end as well - it came completely unexpected.
ReplyDeleteStill, some questions cropped up in my mind: - Do ghosts have sweaty hands? - Do ghosts carry cash cards (or just the ghosts of cash cards)? :)
niebla, in the fantasy world, ghosts are as alive as us.
ReplyDeleteYour question should have been: Do ghosts exist?
oh that would suck wouldn't it.. being dead,, not knowing it,, and being stuck in the same world you died in... whoa.....
ReplyDeletedamn that was good. you got me wondering if I'm a ghost now because the rest of the poem seemed to describe the way my days often seem to go
ReplyDeleteI love it! Well done and very imaginative. I'd like to see more on this theme.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, I really love how you ended it. Great writing!
ReplyDeleteA visceral reaction to this!
ReplyDeleteLyrical as always. I always like the rhythm of your poems. I think I might have liked this better without the ghost line at the very end.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree with paisley - and on top of it, no cash - bummer.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice twist on the ghost world, but I'm wondering, dogs being super-sensory and all, if it would have sat down, or shied away?
sneaky ending! I like it.
ReplyDeleteI played today too:
3WW
Wow, the ending was a surprise. Really good!
ReplyDeleteYou never disappoint.
I was surprised by the ending too, but since I don't believe in ghosts, I interpreted it differently.
ReplyDeleteSurprise after surprise. A quick, fantasy what-if poem. I enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteOnce again, you tell a whole story in a few short lines. My husband said the other day he wouldn't be afraid if he saw a ghost, he's be excited! Not if he were the ghost, I think.
ReplyDeleteinteresting twist...
ReplyDeletesomehow reminded me of the 'bus ride' scene in the movie 'ghost' :)
nice twist at the end. I love coming here. You never disappoint.
ReplyDeleteLovely ending. Really got into the 'spirit' of that.
ReplyDeletethat last line was a surprise, here I thought he was just having a bad day.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting approach. I firmly believe that there are other dimensions around us all the time that we cannot normally see or move into, until we catch a glimpse out of the corner of our eye, or smell a scent of a long ago perfume, or a cold breeze on a hot summer day...then we know their is life beyond our understanding.
ReplyDeleteAs always I look forward to the endings as much as the beginnings; but in a very complimentary way I assure you!
ReplyDeleteWe were on the same "sidewalk" with our thoughts yesterday Gautami...we see the same things in our cities though we are so very far apart in distance -- but we are not so very far apart as people. Beautifully said as always. And if only our "words" could effect the change that we need to see...
ReplyDeleteinteresting ending
ReplyDeleteMade me smile...! In my world, ghosts exist... But,... it's just my world!?:)
ReplyDeleteCool, when the dog sat on him, what a perfect strangeness of image i thought, and then the clever twist to resolve the question, leaves the reader with a very satisfied feeling, excellently crafted poem.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not the ending I was expecting!
ReplyDeleteno rest for ghosts? was going to comment that you're so right--sleep and rest are two different things, but then that ending
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Gautami. Reminded me a bit of the movie Sixth Sense, and what a sad moment it must be when you realize you're no longer in the physical world. Or maybe not sad. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteinteresting ending. It works, but could have worked without it too. I was thinking of a newly homeless person when I read it, and it felt very real. The ghost was a surprise, I like that too. I do agree, I would switch "sweaty" maybe to glistening, cold, ??
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
OMG! what a twist!
ReplyDeleteunexpected totally!
as usual different and nice!
Wow! You really took my by surprise there. Nice job!
ReplyDeletehaunting - but in a good way
ReplyDeleteDefinitely didn't expect that ending! Great job :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting ending, reminds me of an episode of Medium. Much enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the narrative aspects of the poem. The images are vivid and the writing is very clean.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of the ghost walking and walking unaware is haunting and well delivered in that last line.