HOME | DD

Description
Faithful maiden
To whom I pledged my life
Until death did us part,
Forgive me.

Though set free
From holy oath,
I could not free myself
Of wishing for you.

The terrible mistake I have made
At great cost of blessed life
To bring you back to me
I realize now.

Wreathed in shadow,
Masked in white,
A chilling voice,
A haunting cackle.

His hand extended languidly,
I receive a dread invitation to dance
From the bleak avatar
Of death and decay.

Here now the moonlight
Fails to illuminate his cowl,
His alabaster mask aglow
By its own power.

Alone he first appeared,
Yet now out of murky gloom
Step ghosts and ghouls,
Lacking flesh and blood.

Naked and bare save for
The masks of masquerade
Which adorn their faces
And blades at their sides.

Then did the eerie melody
Begin its haunting procession,
Each corpse following to tune
And arrayed in a line.

Dead though they may be,
Their energy and vitality
Could not be ignored
As this promenade continued.

The shrill cry of the violin
Echoes throughout the midnight air,
Pervasive and inescapable
In utter finality.

Yet dismayed as I was,
I would have none of it.
My sweat chilled by their presence,
I retreated in horror.

No sooner did I take a step
Than did their ghastly waltz cease,
The violin silenced,
The ghouls turning slowly.

Dropping weapons
As one.
Dropping masks
As one.

Revealing white skulls
And toothy grins,
Releasing a chorus
Of gruesome laughter.

A step. Then another.
Another and another,
They drew closer to me,
Arms outstretched.

A scream, my own,
A panicked cry
Burdened by anguish
Made hoarse by terror.

Rushing past wizened trees
And brown shrubby,
I could hear the footfalls,
Heavy and thunderous.

Only with the potency of
Sol’s early greetings
Did they halt their chase
And return to shallow graves.

Though safely I did return home,
There is no denying the futility
Of escaping cursed fate
I have brought upon myself.

Safe by day, I see them in the night,
Grinning, grinning as they always do.
Ever so eager to take me to dance,
Ever watchful and vigilant.

Behind closed doors
Wait whispered words.
Hidden beneath dark cloaks,
The glint of metal.

Life is fraught with peril,
No one can be trusted.
In the shadows, predators stalk,
Biding for the time to strike.

Only in death is there escape
From this ceaseless hunt.
The oblivion I refuse to enter,
So live in eternal terror I shall.

Description
Faithful maiden
To whom I pledged my life
Until death did us part,
Forgive me.

Though set free
From holy oath,
I could not free myself
Of wishing for you.

The terrible mistake I have made
At great cost of blessed life
To bring you back to me
I realize now.

Wreathed in shadow,
Masked in white,
A chilling voice,
A haunting cackle.

His hand extended languidly,
I receive a dread invitation to dance
From the bleak avatar
Of death and decay.

Here now the moonlight
Fails to illuminate his cowl,
His alabaster mask aglow
By its own power.

Alone he first appeared,
Yet now out of murky gloom
Step ghosts and ghouls,
Lacking flesh and blood.

Naked and bare save for
The masks of masquerade
Which adorn their faces
And blades at their sides.

Then did the eerie melody
Begin its haunting procession,
Each corpse following to tune
And arrayed in a line.

Dead though they may be,
Their energy and vitality
Could not be ignored
As this promenade continued.

The shrill cry of the violin
Echoes throughout the midnight air,
Pervasive and inescapable
In utter finality.

Yet dismayed as I was,
I would have none of it.
My sweat chilled by their presence,
I retreated in horror.

No sooner did I take a step
Than did their ghastly waltz cease,
The violin silenced,
The ghouls turning slowly.

Dropping weapons
As one.
Dropping masks
As one.

Revealing white skulls
And toothy grins,
Releasing a chorus
Of gruesome laughter.

A step. Then another.
Another and another,
They drew closer to me,
Arms outstretched.

A scream, my own,
A panicked cry
Burdened by anguish
Made hoarse by terror.

Rushing past wizened trees
And brown shrubby,
I could hear the footfalls,
Heavy and thunderous.

Only with the potency of
Sol’s early greetings
Did they halt their chase
And return to shallow graves.

Though safely I did return home,
There is no denying the futility
Of escaping cursed fate
I have brought upon myself.

Safe by day, I see them in the night,
Grinning, grinning as they always do.
Ever so eager to take me to dance,
Ever watchful and vigilant.

Behind closed doors
Wait whispered words.
Hidden beneath dark cloaks,
The glint of metal.

Life is fraught with peril,
No one can be trusted.
In the shadows, predators stalk,
Biding for the time to strike.

Only in death is there escape
From this ceaseless hunt.
The oblivion I refuse to enter,
So live in eternal terror I shall.