Flower Bed

*

she saw the sign there on the lawn

two beds for rent, with garden view

covered porch with chair to swing on

a handyman comes with it too

she sought a place of solitude

somewhere far off the beaten path

she didn’t have much else to lose

any life would beat the one she had

escaping the arms of one who loved her

with tender eyes and cruel hands

running away, this place referred

to settle in and start again

she sat for hours in the garden

the peaceful sounds lulled her to yield

she'd found a place that offered pardon

she took a breath and softly smiled

she settled in, unpacked a lifetime

she placed a candle in the sill

the peace climbed over, like a wild vine

she'd found the place, her dreams to build

the scent of lilac called out to her

as it crept beneath her window

at night she'd hear the branches stir

as she lay dreaming, lost in limbo

it would whisk her, into the night

like the breeze, with wings of angels

to places of complete delight

where reality and dreams were tangled

her skin the dark color of midnight

as soft as cotton, feathered down

she was the loveliest of sights

of any woman in this town

though most around, were curious

no one ever meant her harm

except a boy, notorious

the layman working on the farm

he had spent some time up river

such is the phrase for doin' time

he'd first met her, when he delivered

from the florest, a copper chime

he was smitten in a instant

lost in her eyes, a prisoner

he'd lost the penance for his atonements

when he decided he must have her

he made himself more handy to her

did her bidding, a jack of trades

and when the first eerie things occurred

he promised her, he'd keep her safe

she admired and praised him for his valor

she grew accustomed to his ways

to guard her from a fierce attacker

was sweeter than she'd ever say

he won her faith and trust in him

one late night, as the sun went down

and someone tried their best to get in

she found her dog, heaped on the ground

she vowed revenge, her anger brewing

much like the fear, behind her eyes

his every intent, was her undoing

her sanity would be his prize

she feared the man she ran away from

had found her solace place of peace

she called for help, but lines were down

still she tried calling police

she had no clue he was the danger

she trusted him beyond belief

she gave her spare keys to this stranger

who'd done his best, her, to deceive

her friends warned her of his cunning

they pointed out some discrepancies

but she believed he'd been forthcoming

seeing the side he'd let her see

it would be too late before she saw it

that evil look there in his eyes

he was the master, she the puppet

fooled by his vague disguise

she did her best to fight him off

but he knew every trick she had

there was no one left to call

too late now for turning back

he lay her down beneath tender weeds

her soft skin tattered, broken and bruised

he softly whispered, love, rest in peace

alongside her beloved dog, named boo

that boy stayed on, tending her garden

the flowers bloomed, the lilacs grew

the breezes stirred the floral curtains

the ones he'd bought in shades of blue

he placed a sign up on the front lawn

two beds for rent, with garden view

covered porch with chair to swing on

a handyman comes with it too

she'd disappeared without a warning

no one knew to where or when she'd left

so, there was no one to give forewarning

when the next one wandered in......