The Final RestA Poem by David Lewis PagetI was driving along the coastal route, Looking for somewhere to stay, A Bed and Board that was cheap would suit In a nice secluded Bay, But the weather broke on the seaward side As the clouds came tumbling in, So I had to pull to the side of the road Next to a painted Inn.
The swinging sign said, ‘The Final Rest’ And it creaked as the seawind blew, With a skull emblazed on the painted crest, Though rain impeded the view, And what was left of an ancient wreck Lay caught on the rocky shore, Only a matter of yards beyond The road, and the old Inn door.
I waited until the rain had stopped Then made my way to the bar, An ugly crone stood there alone On her face, a terrible scar, She leered and said, ‘Would you like a bed, For the storm’s set in for the night,’ My mouth was dry as I wondered why, That scar was a terrible sight.
I said that I’d stay for just one night, Then stood, and couldn’t but stare, She said, ‘I know what you’re looking at,’ Reached up, and patted her hair, She ran her finger along the scar With a wizened, frightful hand, ‘There were some once said I was beautiful, Oh, the wondrous works of man!’
I dropped my eyes and apologised, While taking the proffered key, ‘I hadn’t meant to be rude,’ I cried, ‘It’s nothing to do with me!’ ‘That’s what they always say,’ she said While leading me up to my room, Way up there on the topmost floor, It was dark, and like a tomb.
The room held a large four poster bed With a canopy up above, I shut the door and I sighed, ‘There but For the grace of the Lord above…’ The wind was rattling round the eaves It was well set in for the night, And I lay and mused on the woman’s fate, What a truly, dreadful sight.
I must have fallen asleep just then For my soul was so depressed, I didn’t want to be stranded there But at least I’d get some rest, Then two o’clock in the morning I Awoke, as my heart had raced, The canopy had been winding down Was pressing down on my face.
I wriggled out from beneath its hold And struggled to get my breath, I now knew what was ‘The Final Rest’ It was nothing less than death, I watched the canopy creep on down Til it gripped where I had been, It was nothing less than revenge on men In a plan that was obscene!
Then nothing happened for half an hour While I shuddered beside the bed, I knew, if I had been lying there The odds are, I’d be dead, But then the bed had begun to move To tilt on its side, real slow, And then the floor, it had opened up To reveal a tank below.
And there the bodies of seven men Lay in a watery grave, Suffocated in blissful sleep By a woman that was depraved, The man that inflicted that dreadful scar Had taken her life and soul, Had turned her into a twisted crone The Devil had in his hold.
She finally entered the deadly room And her eyes were dull, and blank, I jumped on out and I seized her then And threw her into the tank, She didn’t struggle, she didn’t cry She knew it would come to this, But sank and stared from the water tank As the floor closed, with a hiss.
Whenever I travel around these days I always sleep in the car, It’s not so comfortable, that I grant But it’s safer now, by far, I hear that ‘The Final Rest’ has gone, Developers bought the site, And built a massive hotel just there, They call it, ‘The Restful Night’.
David Lewis Paget © 2014 David Lewis PagetFeatured Review
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