The Lazy Eye

She walked the cobblestone streets at night,

Everyone thought her a pro,

Her skirt was short and her blouse was tight

And her eyes moved to and fro,

She never answered a mocking call

For a price to rest her head,

And wouldn’t stop till the Moon went down

When at last she went to her bed.

She’d roamed the alleyways and the streets

For a year, or maybe two,

Whenever a stranger stayed her feet

She’d say, ‘Not looking for you!’

But still she’d roam till she turned for home

Each night, it went to a plan,

She’d check each face for a sign of grace,

Each night, she’d look for a man.

Sometimes she’d stop at a village Inn

And she’d sidle up to the bar,

The barman said, ‘No, you can’t come in,’

Then she’d say, ‘I’ve come so far.

I need to know if you’ve seen a man

With a head of bright red hair,

A lazy eye, with a look quite sly,

I’ve been searching here and there.’

But no-one knew of the lazy eye

Though they’d seen the carrot head,

‘He used to drink at ‘The King and I’

But I think that fellow’s dead.’

She wandered out to the cemetery

To look for the name they gave,

But the headstone said it was Henry,

When the name that she sought was Dave.’

She’d go back home and she’d cry at night

When the stranger came in her dream,

She’d only seen him the once before

But his face was burnt on her brain.

‘I’ll not be rid of him, nevermore,

And I’ll spend my life in pain,

I need to see him, if just once more,’

It drove her out in the rain.

One night she walked through an alleyway

In shadows, deep in the gloom,

Hiding a figure standing there

Who stared, like a figure of doom.

He faced her there in the only light,

The Moon, that beamed through the trees,

And she took note of the lazy eye

And the hair, like a red disease.

‘I think I’ve seen you before,’ he said,

I just can’t remember when.’

‘You did, while I was lying in bed,

You came through my window then.

I’ve searched for you for a year or more

And now is your time to pay,

You won’t be getting away this time,

So down on your knees, and pray.’

She pulled a pistol out of her bag

To point it at straight at his head,

The stranger’s knees had begun to sag,

‘I should have left you for dead!’

‘I’m glad that your hair is red, blood red,

For the sight won’t make me cry,’

Then fired a bullet, straight through his head

By way of his lazy eye.

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

It doesn't seem that your character can get on with her life, I assume, for being violated by this man of unequivocal features. Vowing she'd find him and seek revenge, took a year or two out of her life, but indeed, rendered him color-coordinated, eye noticed!! let me say it in the vernacular, Revenge is a B***h!!I must say, I can understand her drive!!! An easy but meaningful read, David....Thank You, Barbz

[PANDORA]

I picked at random through your titles to read and I am glad I came upon this one. I really liked the well timed revenge. I like the dark theme...no flowers here!

Thanks for the journey of revenge.

[andrew mitchell]

One of your best writes David that flowed faster than Mulga Bill's bicycle and I loved tat poem. This had flow all over it.

[Marie]

Revenge is sometimes found slowly, but it's always sure--Karma, or the Mills of the Gods. or whatever...

I found Satan's comment interesting. Of course, you used red head (or ranga) to tie in with the blood.

I'm partial, myself, to red-haired men...

[Perkele.7885]

David, quite the tale. Was she returning the favour for a rape that she had been a victim to and this was her payback? This makes the most sense to me. But whatever, I enjoyed a tremendous read!

[Satan]

David I thoroughly enjoyed your write. Thank you for sharing your dark yet fun imaginations. But I gotta ask you, is there some kind of underlying hatred you hold towards rangas? :D

[David Lewis Paget]

What the hell is a ranga?

[Satan]

LMAO!!! Sorry David I thought seeing as you were an aussie you might have known this one. So I'm guessing you have never seen the character Jonah? He birthed the word afterall. He's played by an aussie actor named Chris Lilley on an ABC series called 'Summer Heights High'. Anyway ranga is just another name for a red head, derived from the word Orangutan...surely it's making sense now.

[David Lewis Paget]

I see. No, I have no bias for or against redheads, in fact I even have a ginger cat. And believe it or not, not all Aussies watch our crap TV shows, I especially hate Neighbours and Home and Away.

[andrew mitchell]

aussie soaps are all bad!

[Satan]

I think you two are caught in the 80's... not all our valued shows use the same framework as home and away and neighbours rofl