The Wailing Woman
Have you heard of the wailing woman?
She lives in a room on the third floor
Of this dying brick building
She takes long showers once a week
She makes her coffee in the morning
Or is it tea?
Is she a tea drinker?
She removes her rubbish and tends to her laundry
Under night’s cover
Have you heard her through the pipes?
Or cascading down these crumbling walls?
Crying at night
Over odd, repetitious melodies
Patterns, like heartbeats of the earth
The gather together and sink
Weeping, dripping through the cracks
The floorboards ache
With her pacing
She burns strange herbs and candles
And whispers loud enough for the vents to carry the sound
Some have heard her say
“Take my hand, together we will
Go down to the River.”
Should you ever meet the wailing woman
Do not take her hand
She will take you down to the River
Additional Reading
Elizabeth Matthews is a contemporary poet. Her author’s on this site can be found at think link
The Wailing Woman has been a popular figure in historical ghost hunting and tales of fright. One such story can be found in Mexico, where the wailing woman is called La Llorona
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