Her Phantom Lover

She never asked,

never wanted to know,

he came with the house,

and he returned,

every spring and stayed the summer -

her phantom lover.

When the nights were filled with lovely scents

and the moon seemed to shine brighter,

he appeared smiling so tenderly,

top hat and tails,

she’d give him her hand

and together they would dance in the dark.

The stars above were winking,

a sweet and tender melody played,

at times like this he seemed so familiar,

but she couldn’t place him in her life.

Perhaps a past lover,

she didn’t know, she didn’t care,

he was there and she’d lost her heart,

to him three springs ago.

Anxiously she searched the skies,

for signs of the coming of the dawn,

for then with one tender kiss,

he was gone,

leaving her heart aching,

until the night came riding in once more -

smiling so brightly her phantom lover.

Then one night he appeared,

bearing a single white rose,

she took it in wonder,

pricking her finger on a thorn.

They found her in the morning,

with the most peaceful smile on her face,

the white rose across her chest,

one single drop of blood stained the rose

and the garden was filled with white roses,

bushes looked just like after a snowfall,

the scent so strong wafting in the air

and she, she was walking across the heavens -

with her phantom lover forever together.