John Budan

Ichabod

I tarry at the museum home of Washington Irving in the historic village of Sleepy Hollow, on the banks of the Hudson River. Curators assure tourists that his story about a headless horseman is true.They claim locals have seen the Hessian soldier minus his head, galloping about the countryside at night. Eager to see for myself, I visit the Old Dutch Cemetery and sit on a tombstone where the malevolent phantom is alleged to be buried, warding off the chilling night air with a pint of bourbon. But as the witching hour approaches, I become overwhelmed with a sense of discomfort and an urgency to return to my motel. Hastening toward an adjacent bridge, I hear drumming sounds like hoof beats echoing on the wooden planks.They become louder and louder…

when faces on trees
voices in wind
enter the dark forests
of our minds
legends abide

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About the Author

John Budan has published widely. He lived in France where he found his alter ego Guignol in Paris at the Jardin du Luxembourg. 

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