The Evil Doctor of Stoke Moran

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
Reprinted By M.Vernet

Inspired By “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”
Reprinted By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Evil Doctor of Stoke Moran

The Evil Doctor of Stoke Moran
Killed with the poisonous Speckled Band
The twin sister of our dear client Helen.
We heard the horrible scream
The dark lantern lit the scene.
The pet had bit the Master’s hand,
‘Twas a fitting demise for the Doctor of Stoke Moran.

On a perfect day in a one horse trap
We rode Surrey lanes, in the air was a snap.
The promise of Spring filled our breasts
So different from our sinister quest.

I carried a pistol, Elay cartridges # two
And a toothbrush, as I’d been told to do.
I watched the glades of Surrey go by
Till we saw the Manor of death and lies.

The Evil Doctor of Stoke Moran
Killed with the poisonous Speckled Band
The twin sister of our dear client Helen.
We heard the horrible scream
The dark lantern lit the scene.
The pet had bit the Master’s hand,
‘Twas a fitting demise for the Doctor of Stoke Moran

Later that night the plan was set.
My heart was stout, but Holmes was upset.
There could be a dangerous night ahead,
He’d rather I’d be safe and warm in my bed.

I saw the glimmer of dread in his eye
At the thought that his friend could possible die.
I saw how sincerely he cared for me
And feared to be the cause of more injury.

The Evil Doctor of Stoke Moran
Killed with the poisonous Speckled Band
The twin sister of our dear client Helen.
We heard the horrible scream
The dark lantern lit the scene.
The pet had bit the Master’s hand,
‘Twas a fitting demise for the Doctor of Stoke Moran

I asked if my assistance could aide.
“It might be invaluable,” he said.
I pulled myself up in my soldier’s stance
“You will not go alone!” I silenced him with a glance.

We sat in poor Julia Stoner’s bedchamber
That night is a night I will long remember.
We heard a sound and a menacing hiss.
Holmes swung with his cane, he did not miss.

The Evil Doctor of Stoke Moran
Killed with the poisonous Speckled Band
The twin sister of our dear client Helen.
We heard the horrible scream
The dark lantern lit the scene.
The pet had bit the Master’s hand,
‘Twas a fitting demise for the Doctor of Stoke Moran.

A harrowing night spent in horror and fear
Did so much for this tenuous soul, my dear.
Though we knocked at death’s door
I came away with so much more.

I never felt so alive, brave and needed,
This horrific Adventure with Holmes had succeeded.
He saved Helen Stoner and ended up giving
To me a new life and a purpose for living.

The Evil Doctor of Stoke Moran
Killed with the poisonous Speckled Band
The twin sister of our dear client Helen.
We heard the horrible scream
The dark lantern lit the scene.
The pet had bit the Master’s hand,
‘Twas a fitting demise for the Doctor of Stoke Moran

A Stroll on the Strand

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
Reprinted By M.Vernet

Inspired By “The Resident Patient”
Reprinted By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A Stroll on the Strand

The unhealthy day cleared in the eve.
You asked me to go for a walk to relieve
My spirit and body still weak and ill.
The stars were shining the moon half-full.

You took my arm to steady my feet,
We wandered, talking, down Baker and Fleet.
Arm in arm we strolled on the Strand
Your gloved finger tips touching my hand.

I listened in awe to all you said
Nothing else entered my weary head
 No sniggering jests, no hate filled eyes,
London was ours under starlit skies.

Three hours passed in joyful mirth.
 London seemed the loveliest place on earth.
Laughing and strolling through the night
This bonny evening I felt all was right.

I leaned on you when tired I grew.
You took my weight, as if you knew
I needed someone to simply care,
You needed someone to just be there.

We came back home, a client did wait.
We both smiled, though the hour was late.
A stroll through London had done us good
We would take on the world, if only we could.

 

Common Knowledge

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
Reprinted By M.Vernet

Common Knowledge

Gnawing nights of worry,
Days where darling joys seem folly.
Two minds both enlightened and controlled
Live within one life of common sense.

My bedroom resembles a casket.
To open the lid would expose
A nest of resentment and righteousness,
Letting sunlight illuminate our common lies.

A captive of private prisons
Manifesting in midnight battles,
I embrace my weapons of inspiration and wonder
Breaking the hold of common knowledge.

My Master, My Moon

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
By M.Vernet

My Master, My Moon

The Moon the pale Master of the night
Has bewitched me with his opalescent light.
I stare at his mocking face so full
Cannot push away his persistent pull.

My Master, My Moon
So silent above
Make haste, My Love
My Master, My Moon.

The night cannot hold back the rain
The Moon is encased by a cloudy frame.
The rain in my eyes makes my vision blur
My mind is weak, my words a slur.

My Master, My Moon
So cold above
Where are you, My Love?
My Master, My Moon.

Across the moors the chill wind blows
And here and there the Moonlight throws
The echoed reflection of another day.
Takes you in and lights your way.

My Master, My Moon
So bright above
Come soon, My Love
My Master, My Moon.

They say the shadows the Moon has cast
Can foretell the future, reveal the past.
Walk through the Moon shadows, see what will be
My Love, will walk through the shadows with me.

My Master, My Moon
So knowing above
Walk with me, My Love
My Master, My Moon.

I’ll find a Moon trail out at sea
Follow the ripples of my fantasy.
My Moon so huge, I’ll be drawn in
Turn into Moonbeams that glow from within.

My Master, My Moon
I am with you above
Together, My Love
My Master, My Moon

The Willow by the Thames

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
By M.Vernet

The Willow by the Thames

There is a Willow by the Thames,
As I Hurry along
I see him wave
His branches strong
To sailors brave.

There is a Willow by the Thames,
His buds in Spring
A cheery yellow
The first to bring
Cheer to a fellow.

There is a Willow by the Thames,
In his Summer shade
I pause to rest
His breezy glade
London’s very best.

There is a Willow by the Thames,
His leaves in Autumn
Make boats on the river
A cold wind comes
And makes me shiver.

There is a Willow by the Thames,
One snowy Winter’s day
His whispers I did hear.
“Listen to what I say,
Do not despair, my Dear,
Many dark souls dare
To take their shelter here.
The Thames does not care,
But I do, so draw near.
Your life is a gift
Do not throw it away!
The current is swift
Turn about and obey!
The Willow I am
By the Thames I grow.
I give a damn
You’re worth it, I know.”

There is a Willow by the Thames,
That’s much more than a tree.
When I was friendless, alone and ashamed
He showed my worth to me.

You Are My Country

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
Reprinted By M.Vernet

You Are My Country

When I was young I heard the call
That young men have heard for ages
My strength, my virtue, I gave it all
For a chance to write History’s pages.
I followed the call of my Country.

I gave it all with no regrets
Save a pang for my life gone by.
I would not change, and yet, and yet,
It might have been better if I had died.
I gave it all to my Country.

When weak with pain and empty of purse
I wander the fields of my past.
But I’ll find nothing there to break this curse
The Golden Summer is fading fast.
I’ll fade with the flag of my Country.

I found you when my heart was cold.
How could such a fire be hidden?
All flashes, beakers and pronouncements bold.
I knew I would do as was bidden.
I grew warm in an uncharted Country.

You gave me a place, a land brave and free,
Something to live and to die for.
I will swear to protect, it is a joy to me
To help the hero of the land I adore.
Yea, you are my Country now.
You are my Country.

Beyond

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
Reprinted By M.Vernet

Beyond

The thread that weaves through time and space
Intricately holds our human race
Balanced in a cradle of  string,
Quite unaware of anything.
Beyond our own existence.

Everything moves in a precise dance.
Nothing in turmoil, nothing left to chance.
Into and out of, under and through,
Weavers so careful with much to do.
Beyond the scope of our minds.

Flashes of insight, never long,
Repeated in Art, Music and Song.
How do we know what will touch the heart?
When do we know, now’s the time to start.
Beyond the stars of our nights.

So low we sink, so high we rise
Seeking more than what we see with our eyes.
Get in the dinghy and sail to the moon,
Hurry on board the tide will turn soon.
Beyond the shores of our tomorrows.

No Shadows

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
Reprinted By M.Vernet

No Shadows

The shadows live within the gloom
They hide and seek in every room.
Alone they dance in candlelight
A secret glance is out of sight.

An Artist’s heart may seek the shade,
Live in awe of a sunny glade,
The fleeting light of a Winter morn,
The darkness of a sudden storm.

I seek a place of timeless space.
No sun, no moon, no shadow’s trace.
The bright in-between of what we see,
The emptiness of what can be.

And of this world I dream and sing
Thoughts of nothing about no thing.
The light will spin, the world will bend,
No shadows cast in the radient end.

I Wonder

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
Reprinted By M.Vernet

I Wonder

I wonder about the brown bird
On an old road sign it sings,
A thrill of beauty beats in my heart.
Its white throat moves
There’s yellow in its eye
A pauper turned prince in royal robes.

I wonder what it does to live
It flits to the road and back
A seed in its beak
White fluffy seed, from a thistle.
I see them on the roadside now,
I never saw them before.

I wonder, before there was a road,
I can see a farmer’s wife
The children in bonnets
Running through a pasture of clover.
A little brown bird sings to them
We look and laugh, thrilled by its song.

The Fire Fiends

From “The Poems of John H. Watson”
Reprinted By M.Vernet

The Fire Fiends

I dare not speak of what I feel
My heart, an inferno forging daggers of steel.
I am not a man who is so easily taken.
The night falls, the sea coal fire is lit
Deep in our thoughts we smoke and sit.
To think of this love leaves me visibly shaken.
Your piercing eyes flicker in the firelight
You  can read my paralyzing fright.
My heart yearns to tell you, to clap and shout.
The flames of the fire dance in rainbow hues
These are the thoughts I must try to subdue
But the embers of this fire do not go out.

I poke the fire, it will not die
It will sustain us until the sunrise.
I contemplate conversation, or a book I may seek.
I have no desire for bed and rest
Sitting beside the one I love best.
I let myself dwell on the love I can not speak.
Your profile glows softly in fiery red
A portrait of silence, of things left unsaid.
My moment of contentment swiftly ends
The fire cracks, the flames fiercely leap.
The fire fiends into my thoughts do creep
These hungry flames would devour my friend.

“My Dear Watson, you are in need of sleep.”
“What could you be thinking so long and deep?”
You patted my hand and smiled fondly.
The flames roared in my breast
My heart leaped in my chest.
Your smile, your simple touch have undone me.
I took your hand a moment too long
My heart nearly burst forth its fiery song.
You rose to bid me goodnight and were gone
As embers sparked and cinders smoldered
You gently touched my wounded shoulder.
Alone, I faced the ashes of dawn.