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THE WOMAN IN THE PARLOR

 

As I came down the stairs one day

I was surprised to find

A stranger in my parlor

A gal dressed out of time

 

She looked at me with furrowed brows

And asked me who I was

I thought the same and asked her name

I watched her clench her jaws

 

“Young woman, you are in my house

I ask the questions here”

Twas then I saw right through her form

My heart seized, full of fear

 

“Madam I mean no harm to you

But this is my home now

You are long gone from life you see”

I said with my head bowed

 

Her eyes grew wide, her lips curled back

She then took off a shoe

She raised her arm and aimed at me

And through the air it flew

 

I ducked but when it hit the wall

Behind the place I stood

It disappeared into thin air

As I knew it would

 

Now in a rage she rushed toward me

I held my breath, eyes wide

I knew she could not hurt me, still

The girl inside me cried

 

I stood my ground as she approached

A rush of air and light

This was my home, no longer hers

And I prepared to fight

 

But like the shoe, she went right through

I suddenly felt weak

She seemed to be inside my mind

Her voice began to speak

 

“I know that I have left this world

But this is still my home

It is my place eternally

From here I’ll never roam

 

So you and I will have to share

Each living in our time

Existing here in harmony

We’ll get along just fine”

 

My eyes still closed I then beheld

The splendor of this house

How it was filled with children, joy

And her loving spouse

 

Smiling, I drank in the scene

A place from long ago

A parlor filled with family

Around a fire’s glow

 

I envied her that simple life

Surrounded by loved ones

Husband sitting in his chair

Reading to his sons

 

I watched as she rocked in her own

Sewing up a dress

While she hummed a haunting tune

A time not filled with stress

 

Then in a moment it was gone

I’d returned to present

Reluctant to come back because

The image was so pleasant

 

I looked around my living room

So modern, cold and sparse

And realized that it held no warmth

Despite the ancient hearth

 

A lesson learned from one who passed

That love will fill your heart

I knew then what I had to do

I must make a fresh start

 

Many years have come and gone

Since that fateful day

I never saw the ghost again

Much to my dismay

 

But here I sit in my stuffed chair

Watching with a smile

As my family gathers round

The blazing hearth old style

 

We’ll sing some songs and celebrate 

The Winter Solstice night

For now my life is filled with joy

Each aspect is just right

 

And all because a spirit came

Who helped me to remember

To slow down and enjoy the road

Until life’s last December

 

Poem by Me

Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter