Rosalie’s Garden by AK Draven
I
A winter storm, a roaring of thunder,
Menacing dreams wake me from my slumber,
Dreams of the garden, and what lies under.
Awake, I walk over to my window;
Where I see her perched on the tree below,
The raven, a dark omen, here for me.
She was there on that night, two winters past,
Atop the same tree, in her moonlit bath;
Sitting, watching me in her silent wrath.
A terrible chill lingered in the air,
Filling the garden with her cold despair.
Had this dark creature been waiting for me?
It was in the middle of December,
A frosty night at the start of winter;
A night that would stay with me forever.
It began with a simple midnight stroll
With Rosalie, whose heart completes my soul;
With hair black as the raven before me.
Her eyes of jade looked deep into my own,
And I lost what it felt to be alone.
I loved her more than I had ever known.
Her pale skin soft against my fingertips,
I tenderly kissed her sweet, cherry lips.
The winged beast sat, watching us patiently.
We kissed once more; then I stole another
And I couldn’t help but stare in wonder;
Her beauty could be matched by no other.
A magical mist concealed the garden
Leaving only one thing in my vision;
The bird of night made herself known to me.
II
Rosalie had somehow escaped my sight,
How could this be when she was by my side?
My calls for her were lost in the dark night.
Cold air reached my lungs, capturing my breath,
My heart beating rapidly in my chest.
The raven whispered her dark thoughts to me.
I fell to my knees and covered my ears
But couldn’t stop the dark words I could hear.
She grew stronger while feeding from my fears.
The evil whispers grew even louder,
How could I hope to escape this power?
Her foul intentions became clear to me.
Just how could this demon come to exist?
She called for my soul; I fought to resist.
There had to be a way out of the mist.
Her black magic proved to be much too strong;
I fell victim to her enchanting song.
The hell creature had taken over me.
I was her prisoner, bound by her chains;
My soul was lost, and nothing else remained.
With the magic now flowing through my veins,
I cleared the mist with a simple command
And found Rosalie there, holding my hand.
The raven’s power grew inside of me.
Rosalie looked into my eyes of coal,
And saw the battle deep inside my soul.
I couldn’t stop it; I had no control.
With power I could never understand,
A silver switchblade appeared in my hand.
Why wouldn’t this creature let me be free?
III
She gasped for air as my knife pierced her chest
And held on until there was nothing left.
Her eyes widened as she waited for death.
She breathed in her last, and without a sound,
Her lifeless body fell to the cold ground.
The raven had what she needed from me.
With the raven’s hunger now satisfied,
She ended her spell and opened my eyes.
I mourned for the love that I’d been denied.
Rosalie was pure of heart, full of grace;
She didn’t deserve to die in this place.
Why did this dark spirit take her away from me?
Suddenly my whole world started to spin,
The horror of the night’s events set in.
The world couldn’t bear witness to my sin;
I had no choice but to bury her now.
I said my goodbyes, and I kissed her brow.
The raven sat watching me from her tree.
I picked a spot for her burial place;
It took some time, but I made her grave.
I wept for the young life I couldn’t save.
And through all my tears, I prayed for her soul.
I lowered her into the ground below.
How much more could this raven take from me?
I marked her gravesite with some nearby stones,
And I made my way to the house alone.
How could I survive in this empty home?
I longed for the day our souls meet again.
I looked through the window, and I knew then,
The creature will never let me be free.
IV
A winter storm, a roaring of thunder,
Dark phantoms disturb me from my slumber.
Through the window, by the tree she’s under,
I see in the garden she once adored;
Roses grow where they never have before.
Her restless spirit has come back for me.
The rain pours down, flooding a nearby stream.
I see the raven in the moonlight’s gleam,
Guarding the grave that often haunts my dreams.
I see her sometimes, wandering these halls,
And I hear her now, singing through the walls;
She’s calling for me with her melody.
I follow her song towards her gravesite,
I see her there, in the moon’s dying light.
The raven brings the chill with her tonight.
Rosalie’s soul is bound to the garden,
Kept in this place by her wicked warden.
There must be a way to set her soul free.
The raven’s power grows; she spreads her wings;
I have to stop this magical being.
On the tree, there’s a rope from an old swing;
I’ll use it to free myself from her clutch,
And release the world from her evil touch.
I won’t let her power take over me.
This is the only way the curse can end,
I climb up the tree, and I take my stand.
Rosalie is here, offering her hand.
The creature has taken all she can take,
With one move, I fall and let my neck break.
The raven has no power over me.
She dies as my body swings from her tree.