Samantha

I’d never been this way before – was not my normal route,
but I felt a bit audacious, so I altered my commute.

Surrounded by the quaintness of a little Georgia town
on my way to Alabama – thought I’d stop and look around.

I’m not sure why I did it – why I chose to take a break,
since I wasn’t tired or hungry and I had a trip to make.

I parked beside a fountain on a street of tourists’ fare
and joined the window-shoppers in the breeze of Autumn air.

Strolling past the storefronts with their trinkets, shoes and lace,
I came upon on a dingy shop that seemed so out of place.

A sign that said ‘Samantha’ hung from chains above the door
and the window glass was painted just to hide what lay in store.

Behind a door of timber with its latch of tarnished brass
came a silent intonation that invited me to pass.

I thought I must be dreaming, but the message seemed so real,
such a soothing incantation with such powerful appeal.

I paused before I entered and considered moving on,
but the lure was overwhelming ‘till the want to leave was gone.

The creak of rusted hinges as I pushed the weathered wood
served to pique anticipation – had me frozen where I stood.

The room was sparsely furnished with a table and some chairs –
a rug with faded symbols of some stars inside of squares.

The flames from several candles cast an incandescent blur
that was mixed with clouds of fragrance from the frankincense and myrrh.

The clack of beaded curtains marked the entrance of my host,
with a sound that left me startled – like a man who’d seen a ghost.

A tall and sultry woman stood with hair as black as coal,
with ruby lips and emerald eyes that pierced my very soul.

She led me to the table with the tasseled satin spread
and she sat herself beside me as she climbed inside my head.

She acted like she knew me and I felt a sense of calm
when she reached across the table and asked to see my palm.

She took my hand and held it so my knuckles faced the floor,
then she traced the lines with scarlet nails – like no one’s done before.

She spoke of future promise – that a love would soon appear
in a way I least expected – it was music to my ear.

Her voice was hypnotizing and her words were so intense,
while the guidance that she offered seemed to make a lot of sense.

She told me things about me that nobody else should know –
my deep and darkest secrets that I never chose to show.

Her retrospective vision had me labeled to a tee,
so I guessed her premonitions would most likely come to be.

She said my heart was burdened with a love that didn’t last,
but a simple home concoction would ensure the pain would pass.

Was then she bore a vessel that was slung above her heart
from a chain of braided whiskers – it was quite a work of art.

The vial had been constructed with the parts of some poor beast
that produced an odd sensation when the scent was first released.

At first, my eyes grew heavy, then the room began to spin,
though at first, I tried to fight it, I was slowly taken in.

I was thrown from apprehension to a place from years ago
where I left a young bride waiting for a groom that failed to show.

A flash of indecision made me run the other way
with the scars of grave compunction that I’ve carried to this day.

I knew that what I’d done was just as wrong as it could be,
her hopes and dreams were shattered – it was all because of me.

And that was when it happened, when the words Samantha said
of an unexpected lover started dancing in my head.

I had a new direction – to a prior lover’s door
and a bridge that needed mending, like I should have done before.

I knew that she’d be waiting – I could feel it in my bones,
or perhaps Samantha’s potion had me just a little stoned.