Goodbye My Love, Goodbye

‘Tis near the season for Halloween so why not post something a little chilling?

Working on the second book of short stories, I completed one about a young man, his high school sweetheart, and their less-than-desirable relationship. The story is actually humorous and ends well. However, in some dark corner of my mind, I wondered:  what if it hadn’t ended well? What if the man couldn’t handle the fact his one true love was unfaithful?  What might he do? That’s when this poem came to me.


“Goodbye My Love, Goodbye” by Jack R. Cotner  Copyright 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Retreating inward from the pain,

I smell the sweetness of her hair

As we move along the path. I strain

Uphill, dragging muddied weight to where

Headstones squat like sacred peaks between

Mowed grass where walked mourning crones.

Stoic statues weathered, weeping, still serene,

Guarding lengthy rows of buried bones.

We halt. Crows pass, loud caws abating.

A portal beyond the pale awaits, silent.

The gaping hole lies open, waiting, waiting

For my dearest here quiet, broken, spent.

Farewell, sweet beauty, unfaithful miss.

I weep. Red lipstick on blue, icy lips

Beckons. Entranced, I take one final kiss

Before tossing splendor into the dark abyss.

Goodbye my love, goodbye

Book Review: Silent Faces, Painted Ghosts


“Silent Faces, Painted Ghosts” by author Kathy Shuker is her second novel (mystery suspense genre) and a wonderful read!

The protagonist is Terri, an art curator who leaves London and an old boyfriend-turned-stalker.

She takes a live-in job with a famous, difficult to work with portrait painter and his family in Provence, France. As she digs through paintings and journals to prepare for the retrospective art exhibit of her employer, she discovers there may be more to her current job, the portrait artist and his family than first thought. That’s an understatement! Secrets and rumors of secrets abound.

The setting is gorgeous, the descriptions vivid and memorable.

Shuker’s writing style is strong and the story is well constructed. She methodically weaves the intricate suspense slowly and deliciously, tantalizing the reader as the story unfolds, revealing clue after clue, mystery after mystery right up until the surprising, unexpected end.

I highly recommend “Silent Faces, Painted Ghosts” and am eager to read the rest of Kathy Shuker’s work.

You may learn more about Kathy and her writing by visiting her website at