Haunted

Walking alone in the woods behind my house,

my mind wanders into daydreams.

I hear a whisper in the wind,

causing me to search out the source.

A little ways up ahead,

just off of the path,

shrouded in vines of ivy,

caged by trees barked with horrific grins,

there's an ancient, dilapidated shack.

From the empty windows,

the shadows are staring at me.

For several long moments,

I return the stare,

allowing my eyes to adjust and focus,

a figure begins to emerge.

I see her eyes,

white in the shadows;

I see her face,

full of sedulous grace.

A heavy sadness washes over me,

as I wonder,

how did this pale lady die?

Was it at the hands of murderous heathens,

with hearts full of evil desires?

Over the tree tops,

were her screams heard,

as her life slowly seeped away,

absorbed by the forest floor?

Did she vow,

with her dying breath,

"Vengeance one day!"

Is that whispering in the wind,

her cries still echoing in the woods,

reverberating in my heart and mind,

evidence of her lonesome afterlife?

Never again,

will I carelessly walk in the woods,

unmindful of it being haunted.