The End of the Grange

There isn’t much left of The Grange today,

There isn’t much left at all,

Only a charred left wing, I think,

And the odd, still standing wall,

The central Hall is a pile of ash

As it was, the day I left,

Sat on the back of the doc’s grey mare

As the Lady Mary wept.

 

It wasn’t supposed to end like this

On the day of the wedding ball,

Balloons and streamers hung from the roof

As the marriage carriage called,

Annette stepped out like a fairy queen

In her virgin white, and lace,

While Reece, the Groom, in the wedding room

Had a smile on his handsome face.

 

And I led the Lady Mary in

To the mother’s pride of place,

I only had eyes for her that day

As she walked with a widow’s grace,

It wasn’t a secret, I yearned for her

But this was her daughter’s day,

So I was content with the hand she lent

For she squeezed, along the way.

 

The priest stood up by a lectern as

The guests all prayed and knelt,

To bless their way on this wedding day

I’m sure it was truly felt,

But Mary’s brother-in-law was there

With an evil look in his eye,

He’d wanted to claim the Grange from her

Since the day her husband died.

 

‘The Grange belonged to my family,’

He’d say, ‘and I want it back,

You only married into the place

When you wed my brother, Jack.’

He made an offer, but she said no,

The Grange had become her home,

‘You sold your part to Jack at the start

Before you went off to roam.’

 

But Douglas, he had an evil mind

And his countenance was stern,

He said if he couldn’t have The Grange

Then he’d rather see it burn.

He’d brought three barrels of gunpowder

Unseen, but out in the yard,

He chose this day to make Mary pay,

We should have been on our guard.

 

The guests were all engaged at the front

When he wheeled the barrels in,

It takes a mind of evil intent

To imagine this kind of sin,

Annette had lifted her wedding veil

And raised her lips to the groom,

When all hell suddenly came to play

In the depths of that wedding room.

 

The hall was full of the screams and cries

Of those who lay on the floor,

While I picked the Lady Mary up

And carried her out to the door,

It was there we saw the bride, Annette

Who’d made it out to the porch,

The groom was dead, but the bride had fled

As her dress went up like a torch.

 

There isn’t much left of The Grange today,

There isn’t much left at all,

Only a charred left wing, I think,

And the odd, still standing wall.

But the Lady Mary married me

In the wake of all the strife,

Her daughter’s gone, but our love is strong,

And Douglas is serving life.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[ANTO]

"As the marriage carriage called..." - yep thats that humour of yours you old dawg. I loved that line because I can see you with a big grin after you wrote it.
"...countenance was stern..." - who would want to go back to saying 'face' once they had encountered a countenance mate, eh? - class DLP

Such a thrilling ride my friend back to the days of yore - and yet it could just as easily transpire in this day and age - and Douglas would sell his story to the papers - human nature never changes it would seem.
Super write my friend.

[A Soap Mess Stories]

Your poems have all the elements of climax, resolution, drama, conflict...great storytelling David.

[Barbz]

I love that this well written poem contains a little bit of everything.... .that you would find in a book...you could not put down. So many characters, but you don't get lost....drama, Love, suspense, history, and revenge, all in a five minute read....unless you're like me and read it several times, and gain a little knowledge each time. Poetry, Poetry, how great you are!! Thank you, DLP, for entertaining so many of us, so often....Barbz

[Valentine]

Some of these older tales that you dream up seem so real that I do not know if you are altering names and history or if the tales are coming from that genius mind of yours. Valentine

[Marie]

Douglas should be servinig more than life for what he did. And I can't help wondering what happened to the bride. If her dress went up like a torch, did it kill her? I imagine it did.