The Midnight Bride
I – A Heavy Burden
“Pray be quick,” pleaded the forlorn maiden,
“End my sorrows, and take my soul to Heaven.
For my life is but a sentiment of mourning,
A heavy burden my heart is scorching.
I have reached the end of this bitter sojourn,
In this earthly world so vast and broad.”
Weeping at the grave of her beloved groom,
It is a sombre sight to behold, full of gloom.
For long months, and however many years,
The lone maiden drowns in agonizing tears,
Waiting for the one person that may not come,
Slowly becoming more and more numb.
II – Troubled Sleep
Heavy fog descended upon the graveyard,
Covering both the dead and the scarred.
The clock struck midnight and all was still,
Save for the woes of a lonely little girl.
“Let the weeping cease,” ordered a stern voice,
“For I cannot sleep, what with all this noise.”
“Whence doth this sudden voice come?”
Pondered the distraught maiden aloud.
From down below came the sound of scratching,
Scratching of nails against the wooden clapping.
A hand appeared, rising from the earth below,
And there he was – her lost love of long ago.
III – The Dead Were Disturbed
A gaunt individual, with deathly pale face
Stood still, watching, waiting for her embrace.
“How can this be?” she cried in ambivalence.
“’Tis but pretence of my wistfulness!”
Beloved gazed at her with vexed eyes of red,
And reproached, “Your cries’ve disturbed the dead.”
But the fair maid paid no heed to his scold,
Instead, of his hands she took hold,
On his shoulders did she hide her face,
And so did she find refuge in his embrace.
For the tranquil embrace of a revenant
Is a dance without end, an irreverent sacrament.