Fallen AngelA Poem by David Lewis PagetMy uncle married the only girl That I’d ever really loved, I’d thought that she was an angel, sent Expressly down from above, But her angel wings were tarnished, It was money that bought her pride, She wanted much, but she tried to touch And I had to stand aside. She said, ‘There’s nothing to stop us Going out to the winter barn, As long as we don’t go hand in hand It won’t do us any harm. Your uncle is much too old for me But he’s rich, and wanted a wife, And I was the one he set upon, I wanted a better life.’ I looked at her in disgust, and then I think that I almost cried, ‘You’ve taken your vows of love, but now You’re telling me that you lied! How could I even think of it To betray his love and trust, I’ve always wanted you for my own As a wife, but not for lust!’ She sneered at me so that I could see The darkness deep in her heart, ‘You’re not going to let a wedding band Forever, keep us apart? I’ve only ever loved one, that’s you, This wedding was simply a steal, Get over your finer feelings, John, Come into the world, get real!’ I didn’t see her again that day, And not again for a week, I stayed inside and I locked the door Of the cottage, down by the creek. I don’t know if I was feeling sad Or hurt by her easy lies, I’d thought of her as an angel, but The scales were stripped from my eyes. I saw her next with the stable boy He looked at her with a grin, Then went on down to the winter barn And she shortly followed him in, I tried to ignore my feelings as They shut the door of the barn, But knew, if what I suspect was true, I’d soon be leaving the farm. My Uncle Joe was a surly cove But a heart of gold within, I think he had his suspicions, for His face was suddenly grim. I heard their voices were raised at last, They carried all over the farm, And that was the time, I thought she might Be fraught, and coming to harm. She knocked on my door at midnight And she begged I let her inside, Then pulled a gun from under her skirt, Thrust it at me, and cried: ‘I think that he’s planning to kill me, Or the boy, it was only fun, But I saw him loading it after lunch, I want you to hide the gun!’ She disappeared in the darkness, and I left the gun on the side, It wasn’t until the morning came That I thought that she might have lied, They beat three times on the outer door Then the door came crashing in, ‘Well here’s the gun,’ said the sergeant then, ‘So the murderer must be him!’ My Uncle Joe had been shot, it seemed, When Narelle had been outside, She said that we’d had an argument And she’d heard a shot, she lied! She said she hid in the winter barn And had seen me walking past, Still with a smoking gun in my hand Then she found Joe dead, at last. They said they ‘had me to rights,’ they said, My prints were over the gun, They wouldn’t believe a word I said That she was the guilty one. They locked me into a padded cell And Narelle came down from the farm, She whispered, ‘It was the stable boy That I wanted, all along!’ She hissed she’d cleverly primed the boy To free her from Uncle Joe, ‘It’s sad that you should carry the can For our evil deed, I know! But I’ve always known what I want in life And it certainly wasn’t you, Maybe you’ll learn as you serve your term That love’s a deception, too!’ I heard a clatter, the police walked in And arrested her on the spot, ‘We listened to every word you said, And yes, we taped the lot!’ They let me go, back to the farm But I get no joy from this, For in my head, I hear the dread Of a Fallen Angel’s hiss! David Lewis Paget © 2013 David Lewis PagetFeatured Review
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