Woman in Black
Woman in Black – is a ghost story told with poetry. Some of us never question the existence of ghosts and others laugh off such stories as utter nonsense. What do I believe? In the daylight hours with the sun high in the sky I do not believe in such tales, but when darkness falls and a full moon is overhead I am much more open minded. Of course I have spent all my wonder years walking the Colorado Rocky Mountains, which are older than time. I have hiked down the forgotten boardwalks of long lost mining towns and the overgrown mislaid cemeteries that dot the backroads of my mountains. I have spent countless hours reading the epitaphs of those folks that lived and died on windblown tombstones and rotted crosses. Ghosts in the end may not be real, but one thing that I have felt in my bones and my soul is the human misery of such places. “Woman in Black” is my version of a ghost story that may or may not haunt the streets of Central City, Colorado.
“Woman in Black”
Walking bundled up against the night, cold and snow,
Quarter size snowflakes floated in the streetlights glow.
She appeared dressed in black, with button up shoes,
Across the street veiled by falling snow looking confused.
Looking the part of this rustic mountain mining town,
Woman out of time looking at me, no smile just a frown.
Pacing the street up and down, this way and that,
Panicked look I could see below her glistening black fur hat.
Slowly crossing the street in the wet slush and snow,
Now next to her, noticing her face had an eerie pale glow.
Sadness was upon her face as she looked at me,
Snow gets thicker, she was harder for me to see.
With mournful look reaching for me she began to fade,
In the darkness before me only snowflakes swayed.
Confused staring in the dark and the snow on the ground,
My footprints only, hers were nowhere to be found.
Slowly I walked, turning my collar to the cold and damp,
I knew I had seen her ghost in this old mining camp.
By Kurt James
Kurt James © 2017
Where to purchase Kurt James novels and books:
https://www.amazon.com/Kurt-James/e/B01DTOJ7KC/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
The Denver Post, PM Magazine, and 9NEWS, all well-known Denver, Colorado media sources, have highlighted the powerful and evocative work of poet and novelist Kurt James. Focusing on Old West history, Kurt contributes feature articles to HubPages and Creative Exiles, exploring the eerie silence of ghost towns, the thrilling tales of outlaws and gunfighters, and the evocative imagery found in the Rocky Mountains.
Kurt’s early admiration for writers such as Jack London, Louis L’Amour, and Max Brand played a significant role in honing his skills as a storyteller. Twenty-one books (and counting!) transport readers to the Colorado Rockies and the Old West through Kurt’s vivid descriptions; the feel of rough-hewn cabins, the sounds of coyotes howling under starry skies, and the smells of campfire smoke and sagebrush are all palpable.
Find Kurt James novels, short stories, reference books, and poetry—published by Midnight Wind Publishing—in print copies or digital downloads at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and other excellent bookstores; explore the diverse range of formats available.
Currently in production - The 10th book in his Rocky Mountain Series - Lee Moomaw Former Lawman.
Kurt is a proud member of the Western Writers of America, a group that values storytelling.
- Riding the Timberline - May 26, 2025
- Digging up Dreams - September 16, 2024
- As the Years Roll By - November 15, 2023
Another well penned ghost story. Nice work, Kurt.
Thank you Phyllis for stopping by my campfire for this tale…
Nicely written ghost story Kurt. Sad that the ghosts are all trapped in this realm.
Yes Paul it that is truly the case. How sad is that?
Well written as always Kurt, and it is sad so many are still bound in this plane, unable to move on. Cheers!
Thanks Tony, always happy to have you stop by.
Always love your ghost stories, Kurt. This was an eerie poem and well worth the read.
Thank you John for stopping by.
Nice to find your work here Kurt James. As you stated, over all these years, you have not yet encountered an in your face ghost/spirit. However you have felt their presence through your sojourns through the ghost towns of the Colorado past. The poem was well written, she appears in your mind as a damsel who is distressed, many of them do. Perhaps being attired in black, she may have been one of the mourners at a grave you may have visited on your walks. I was a skeptic for most of my life until 2006 when I had an encounter with an apparition on a Kentucky back road. I truly believe she has inspired me to pen much of my life past. The first poem she inspired me to pen was “Graveyard of Lost Souls” Thank you for sharing your work here, I look forward to reading more of it.
Thanks Vincent for stopping by my campfire for a visit. Looking forward to reading some of your work and welcome to creative exiles.
oooh, scary. How about a Man Ghost dressed in black? That might be okay 🙂 Very haunting poem, Kurt. Guess I’ll sleep with the lights on tonight 🙂
Never a shortage of ghost stories here in Colorado… Maybe I will find one about a man in black – until then keep the light on Tamara….