Fallen Angel

My uncle married the only girl

That I’d ever really loved,

I’d thought that she was an angel, sent

Expressly down from above,

But her angel wings were tarnished,

It was money that bought her pride,

She wanted much, but she tried to touch

And I had to stand aside.

 

She said, ‘There’s nothing to stop us

Going out to the winter barn,

As long as we don’t go hand in hand

It won’t do us any harm.

Your uncle is much too old for me

But he’s rich, and wanted a wife,

And I was the one he set upon,

I wanted a better life.’

 

I looked at her in disgust, and then

I think that I almost cried,

‘You’ve taken your vows of love, but now

You’re telling me that you lied!

How could I even think of it

To betray his love and trust,

I’ve always wanted you for my own

As a wife, but not for lust!’

 

She sneered at me so that I could see

The darkness deep in her heart,

‘You’re not going to let a wedding band

Forever, keep us apart?

I’ve only ever loved one, that’s you,

This wedding was simply a steal,

Get over your finer feelings, John,

Come into the world, get real!’

 

I didn’t see her again that day,

And not again for a week,

I stayed inside and I locked the door

Of the cottage, down by the creek.

I don’t know if I was feeling sad

Or hurt by her easy lies,

I’d thought of her as an angel, but

The scales were stripped from my eyes.

 

I saw her next with the stable boy

He looked at her with a grin,

Then went on down to the winter barn

And she shortly followed him in,

I tried to ignore my feelings as

They shut the door of the barn,

But knew, if what I suspect was true,

I’d soon be leaving the farm.

 

My Uncle Joe was a surly cove

But a heart of gold within,

I think he had his suspicions, for

His face was suddenly grim.

I heard their voices were raised at last,

They carried all over the farm,

And that was the time, I thought she might

Be fraught, and coming to harm.

 

She knocked on my door at midnight

And she begged I let her inside,

Then pulled a gun from under her skirt,

Thrust it at me, and cried:

‘I think that he’s planning to kill me,

Or the boy, it was only fun,

But I saw him loading it after lunch,

I want you to hide the gun!’

 

She disappeared in the darkness, and

I left the gun on the side,

It wasn’t until the morning came

That I thought that she might have lied,

They beat three times on the outer door

Then the door came crashing in,

‘Well here’s the gun,’ said the sergeant then,

‘So the murderer must be him!’

 

My Uncle Joe had been shot, it seemed,

When Narelle had been outside,

She said that we’d had an argument

And she’d heard a shot, she lied!

She said she hid in the winter barn

And had seen me walking past,

Still with a smoking gun in my hand

Then she found Joe dead, at last.

 

They said they ‘had me to rights,’ they said,

My prints were over the gun,

They wouldn’t believe a word I said

That she was the guilty one.

They locked me into a padded cell

And Narelle came down from the farm,

She whispered, ‘It was the stable boy

That I wanted, all along!’

 

She hissed she’d cleverly primed the boy

To free her from Uncle Joe,

‘It’s sad that you should carry the can

For our evil deed, I know!

But I’ve always known what I want in life

And it certainly wasn’t you,

Maybe you’ll learn as you serve your term

That love’s a deception, too!’

 

I heard a clatter, the police walked in

And arrested her on the spot,

‘We listened to every word you said,

And yes, we taped the lot!’

They let me go, back to the farm

But I get no joy from this,

For in my head, I hear the dread

Of a Fallen Angel’s hiss!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Becky C Strukamp]

Holy BeGeeBie!! this is soooooooo David Lewis Paget style and grace. Never do my eyes leave the screen nor dare take a breath till the last stanza, last word is read. This is why you are the accomplished poet and author that you are ...everything you touch turns golden!!

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Whew! Poor Uncle Joe was blindsided by her greed, and John nearly spent his life in prison. Thank goodness, she got her just desserts in the end. This is the fate that all greedy wenches should suffer. :-)

[Baby Ricochet]

That was awesome! I was pleased she got what was coming to her in the end. Conniving women are the worst.

[Blue Ivory]

What a b***h! Great story. Rhyming is hard! I don't know how you do it. I look forward to your every piece. Not only are you good at rhyming, the quality of your stories are great. Overall your work is always extraordinary.

[Tomahawk Joe]

It reads like a story really holds the attention

[Caradoc]

Excellent piece. What a tale. Love the title drop at the end.

-Caradoc

[Daisie Vergara (Dhaye)]

Deception...lies...they are just too dangerous. She deserved what she got!
This is another brilliant piece. Felicidades!

[Emerald Seas]

Now that's a story from life, repeated the world over. Well done!

[TL Boehm]

Kudos to you David for another stellar story and lesson learned. I was rooting for the guy from the start. I'm glad that Fallen Angel didn't pull a fast one on him. A tragic story but so cleverly penned.

[TPK Stories]

Wow! I thought he was going down for her crime. So glad it all came out right in the end.

[Mark]

Now this is Pagetalia at it's finest: The evildoer gets her reward! You are by no means a "formulaic" writer, Dave, but numerous pieces carry this or a similar theme, and they're what drew me to you in the first place, odes like "Lightnin" Jack" and "The Great Eastern", where evil is done, but does NOT escape discovery and its consequences. I loved this classic morality play, couched in such elegant scenery and language. As ever, well done, Sir!