Haunted

Terrible noises arise from the basement.
The walls and the doors are heavily marred.
Shivering slightly, I stand at the casement,
Staring out into the dark empty yard.

Bleak is the weather; the landscape is frozen.
It, like my sanity, wears on my nerve.
I had no choice with this life I have chosen,
Opting to stay, which I did not deserve.

Shrieking surrounds me as outward I’m staring.
I do not dare take my eyes from the pane.
If I turn, I would be lost in despairing,
For what I would see would strangle my brain.

Dishes and glasses and silverware rattle.
Now the floor drones with a terrible hum.
I do not move, but my mind starts to battle.
My hands are like ice; my whole body’s numb.

And then a loud crash; the basement door gaping.
Footsteps behind me; cold breath on my skin.
A raspy dead voice forms words, and thus shaping,
Whispering faintly to “just let it in.”

I flee from the house, my tortured mind reeling,
Knowing that soon, I will have to return.
But for now, out in the yard I am kneeling,
Sobbing and asking just when I will learn.

Nearly a year I have lived here thus taunted,
Having to deal with the shade who has died.
And yes, though this house is patently haunted,
It’s not all that bad….won’t you come inside?