NOTE: Not my writing (The poem isn’t… the intro is)!
I had been working on my school work, when I got distracted, and somehow ended up researching paranormal, spiritual occurrences. I don’t believe in this type of stuff, but the topic intrigues me nonetheless…
This is a children’s nursery rhyme that originated in an unknown town. I stumbled across this, and analyzing the poem is now a project of mine… The only hint of what the town is is where ‘Beckford’s Hollow’ is… And yet, after extensive research, I do not know where this is.
I had created a Google Doc and shared the doc with some of my friends, in which we try to extract some meaning from the rhyme…
I can share the doc with you, just let me know, or you can just post a comment on what this may be about. Although, while I believe this describes a paranormal presence in the town, I could be wrong…
My research shows that the town where this originated from was claimed to be ‘haunted’…
Although, a ‘hollow’ can be a home… So, ‘Beckford’s Hollow’ can be the home of a spiritual man, perhaps…
And now, for ‘Licketsplit’:
Across the bridge, over the creek,
And down to Beckford’s Hollow,
Mind your head and don’t turn back,
Licketysplit will follow
Under the branches, through the trees
The flower are a-touching,
Watch your tongue and hold it now
Licketysplit is watching
Through the gate, and into the house
Let your friends come near you,
Talk as if you know what’s right,
Licketysplit can hear you.
The day is new, the day is old,
These thoughts are barely crowning,
Drunk on rain and stuck in mud,
Licketysplit is drowning
Now you’re here, now you’re back,
Collected your composure,
Lock the door and hold your breath,
Licketysplit grows closer.
Really, a majority of the poem, in my perspective, points to possible spirits. Also, after extensive research, I found something!
William Thomas Beckford was a famous novelist from England… He loved to visit a place called ‘Hackfall’ – a place with lots of woods. There, he erected a monument – a home that he liked to visit. To access this home, you had to cross a creek, using a bridge… The home did have a gate, to keep out animals… So, this supports the theory that ‘Beckford’s Hollow’ is a home! The bridge, creek, and dense foliage is all there! But why would he summon, or be a ‘spirit’? He had died from old age, and natural reasons – not really an upsetting death. But! He wished to be buried on the grounds of ‘Lansdown Tower’, now known as ‘Beckford’s Tower’. This was one of the many monuments he designed, paid for, and built himself… But, he was instead buried in ‘Bath Abbey Cemetery’… He was also against the Church, and was rumoured to be part of a religious Pagan cult… So, if this is true, he could’ve summoned a spirit, but was also gay, which meant that the Church was after him… Afterall, a famous novelist, who travelled Europe, who was gay??? Unacceptable (For the Church)! The Church was after him to expose him, to force him to hand over his power to them, to accept that he was guilty of sin, and to get him killed… Many of his works of writing do hint at going against the Church, Pagan rituals, and sexuality… He also loved to collect art, and much of his collection was made by famous artists who were also alleged to have been part of secret, anti-Christian societies… And that all had hidden messages pointing to Pagan rituals, anti-Church messages, and the topic of sexuality… He was also a politician, like his father, William Beckford, and he tried to push for less influence of the Church in politics, and for the ending of the Church labelling people (Linked with the issue of sexuality and anti-Church beliefs, once again) as witches and such, then ordering their death – and killing them, and getting away with the crime. So, he was a powerful man, with widespread influence. But even then, his family, especially his father, rejected him for his sexuality. But, all of Europe loved him for his writing, and he persuaded entire nations to separate religion from politics. Of course, while many nations and people still disagreed with his sexuality – and him possibly being part of a religious cult – they still respected his fine debating skills… And yet, he wasn’t buried where he wanted… So, his ‘spirit’ haunting his favorite resort, Hackfall, where he erected his only home, and where he loved to stay, saying he wanted to live there forever… (Yes, he travelled so much that he didn’t have a permanent home; He just went from hotel to hotel…) Sort of makes sense, right? On top of that, he was rejected, and yet still accepted, by Europe… Which caused mental illnesses for him… But one of the main things that could easily shoot down this theory, is that I could find no connection between this man, and anything relating to something called ‘Licketysplit’… But just something to think about!
I wrote my own thoughts on it in the document.