My Sweet Adeline (Gothic Narrative)

Once upon a full, gleaming moon,
When sorcerers mingle their midnight mixtures;
A young maiden passed me by
Enclosed in a black carriage, its wheels entrenched with earth.
The click-clock, click-clock of the musky steeds’ hooves,
Awakened me from a dull life’s sleep:
For one brief moment she looked out with a timid face,
Her sad visage briefly met mine, this sweet girl called Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

Her dark tresses flew out glistening in the moonlight
Despite her attempts to hold them back beneath her bonnet
As thick as a winter’s night covering the sky
And violet hued eyes shined bright beneath the darkness of her eyelashes
Her sad pout could not detain her full, rubicund lips
Her skin shone fair with rosy cheeks;
I had ne’er seen a creature as alluring.
With one glance did my heart grow radically,
And a passion overruled me.
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

That winter season, day after day,
I would watch my fair Adeline pass by
With her black chariot in the dreary night,
Her black cloak covering her delicate breast
Her sweet scent covering the air with sublime radiance
My body shivered in response to her every move.
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

It was not enough to caress her, feel her beneath my touch
I wanted to breathe in her breath, with hearts joined as one,
Lying in bed sleeplessly anticipating her unreachable beauty
My ears and skin tensing to hear her approaching coach passing down my street.
Her carriage detained briefly, she had time to step out
Long enough for me to observe her quaint stature,
To turn in my direction with her pale hands on her hair
Reflecting the light of the heavy, blood red harvest moon
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

By the spring equinox, it ceased its nightly apparition-
The bustling carriage that carried
My beautiful, enchanting, young maiden Adeline.
Thus, I knew not what to do,
For if but a grim finger laid upon her head,
I would burn it and tear it till dead.
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

The white gleaming moon, which had first alighted on her frame, turned colour,
The killing moon came too soon;
For whence the news arrived that
My sweet Adeline had breathed her last and was no more,
My legs began to carry my throbbing head and heart straight to the cemetery
Searching for her soul among her bones
Through the sea of fog and restless spirits I reached her open grave fresh and deep.
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

Where did she go, this place is death, she cannot be here?
Her body and face swelling with beauty and life now swarming with worms
I bent down scratching at the soil
Swelled my fists with anger
For no trace was left of my sweet Adeline’s soul
She had departed ripping whatever joy or worth my life contained
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

My skin prickled as I felt the warmth on my neck forcing me to look up
A blood red moon stared at me through the forest of headstones
Shining sweetly mocking with its delightful moonbeams on her preciously carved name
This same moon which lit the way to her taunted me
“You will never see her again!”
Could it have been the moon,
That stole my sweet Adeline?
I sprung toward it in the misty night.
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

I turned and ran after its rays, past the cemetery gates
Towards the roaring sounds of its laughter
Its light only gaining more brilliance as I ran faster
Gasping for breath, I stopped short and found myself
At the tip of a cliff hanging so high
The moon swelled full and heavy satisfied returning my gaze
As I returned my expression of anguish and emptiness
The smell of death beneath my fingernails, around my hair, in my mouth
Of my sweet expired Adeline
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.

At first glance the moon shone flat and smooth
but as I swept back my tears
Blinking to sharpen my view I could see the shadows beneath its fluttering mass
Its face tattooed with the feminine silhouette of my Adeline
For I could not mistake its every detail with no other
I cowered over this powerful vision lowering my body to the ground
A scream pierced the night, I leapt up to see the moon complete its torture
Encircled in red dripping with her blood crushing her inside its round chamber
With all my might, I leapt out scratching at the air flailing helplessly
Hoping to release her soul from the moon’s grasp
But all that met my efforts were the foaming sea and piercing rocks below
Lungs seething filling fast with burning water, losing consciousness, I die
For after I laid my eyes upon the young maiden, Adeline,
My life would continue not the same.