I
The Yule three stood there beaming in candlelight
Next to the altar of family ancestors
To ward off malevolent spirits of Midwinter night
To let no old wounds, sore or fester
This old blue-blooded family need it you’ll see
They suffer the faith of inherited sin
To ward off the ancient scrolls poverty prophecy
Two great-great-great aunts trapped the spirit of a djinn
The bound it within a flawless stone
Thinking nothing how it would affect nearby senses
To forevermore by the family heir to be worn
To grow with whispers of gory death, unthinkable offences
II
The family prospered and notoriety gained
The women wore fine jewels around melancholic, hysterical throats
The wealth, standing always tempered by a crazy stain
The men sowing madness hexed wild oats
The Djinn constant influence made it so
Their minds slowly cracked and shattered
Together with wealth and fame, their insanity grow
The family’s cursed herd, each generation, culled by a third
Today’s there’s only one daughter of the clan
Tearing her hair, tears on her face, vowing to poverty agree
Talking loudly, all alone, about the touch of a man
Bring me a man, to fan my loins fire, and I will set you free
III
The Djinn told her to put the stone in smithy’s furnace heat
To see the castle gates securely barred
Then go, unlace, lay naked beneath the sheets
The stone exploded in flaming shards, setting fire to the yard
The stable-hand woke at the bang with a start
Eyes gleaming red with revenge fire
Never before eldritch lusts felt in his heart
He would be the new tyrant squire
She’d often dreamt, herself intertwined with the stable-boy in the hay
Sometimes, she’d even imagine him giving her spanks and lashes
Now possessed by the Djinn, he took her in every unimaginable way
Fulfilling every dark twisted fantasy, as everything burnt to ashes
©RedCat
Written for Poetics – Exploring Gothic as a Literary Genre (Step into the realm with me) over at dVerse. Go and read the prompt. It contains lovely Gothic poems and an overview of the genre.
It took some thinking, and a night of dreaming, until I found my way back to that inglenook and one of those forbidden poems.
“The elements of Gothic Literature include, setting in a castle, an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, high and even over-wrought emotion. An ancient prophecy which is connected with either the former or present inhabitants of the castle. Omens, portents and visions. Women in distress and last and but not the least, supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events which take place in the duration of the novel.”
The world according to RedCat 
Hot.
This was great!
-David
My goodness you have outdone yourself! This is such a scrumptious feast of a poem :D and I love how you have expanded on the concept of “forbidden.” Thank you so much for writing to the prompt 💝💝
I can only sense that family curse of madness traded for wealth… there is something Faustus like in the tale when trading yourself for gold.
Man, trading sanity for wealth seems a fruitless endeavor. This was an engaging piece, it pulled me right through to the tragic end.
What a fantastically gothic and entrancing story!
A whale of a gothic tale, for sure!! And the moral? Wealth does not equal happiness, and you won’t know if you’re out or djinn!
This sizzles!