Poems by Jonna

In the spirit of All Saints’ Day, which we celebrate this weekend in Sweden, I wanted to share three eerie poems about ghosts and the ways we imagine them.

The first two poems explore what it feels like to be haunted. I wrote “You Never Really Left” back in 2024, and it went on to win Spellbinder Magazine’s annual poetry contest. “At the Base of My Throat” is more ambiguous, somewhere between a physical sensation, a dream, and something less easily explained.

The final poem, “Keep You Awake,” turns the perspective around and lets the ghost speak.

You Never Really Left

You never really left—
you’re still floating in my space,
passing through walls
like a memory kept,
echoes of stories
we shared before bed.

Like a ghost,
you simmer above my skin,
whispering things
that are better left unsaid.

“Tell me to go, and I’ll leave straight away.”
But I don’t have the heart—
there’s still space for you left.

Under creaking floorboards,
where I walk at night,
I prepared you a room
where you can safely rest.

At the Base of My Throat

There was a crease on my neck
when I woke today —

the cool sheet edge
a slight indent in the fabric,
marking my skin when I turned.

Restless,
eyes flickering beneath their lids,
reaching for unknown things 

for a handle that isn’t there 

fingers stretching, tensing legs.
Mumbling a bargain
to the ghost by my bed.

Or it’s been there all along:

the slight swelling
at the base of my throat.

Keep You Awake

I hope you feel my breath
hot against your ear
as you pull the duvet closer
to your chest,
trying not to let the cold in.

I hope you still
feel a chill in the air
even though
you closed the window.

I hope you feel
my fingertips on your skin,
sit up in bed
only to realise
there’s nothing there.

I hope you hear my whispers
even in your dreams.

I hope my words keep you awake.

---

What still haunts you?

Until next time,

Jonna