what a hideous forest surrounded whitehaven twisted black mountains wolves howled in madness never i ventured beyond the stone tower as dusk spread her black wings at the edge of the dark wild wood but one windy evening gathering timbers under white elm trees in shadows i saw her the darkest of beauties with her basket of cherries the wind at her black skirt like the hands of the wild dark wood she turned in her terror a madness possessed her in shadow she clawed me we screamed in the brambles hunters came running with torches and axes treetop to treetop flames tore through the dark wild wood back down they dragged us past the stone towers the church bells were ringing the sky screamed in flashes but we stood in the church yard laughing like jackals as the stone towers tumbled and bowed to the wild dark wood