THE GHOST

Softly as brown-eyed Angels rove I will return to thy alcove,  And glide upon the night to thee,  Treading the shadows silently.

And I will give to thee, my own,  Kisses as icy as the moon,  And the caresses of a snake  Cold gliding in the thorny brake.

And when returns the livid morn  Thou shalt find all my place forlorn  And chilly, till the falling night.

Others would rule by tenderness  Over thy life and youthfulness,  But I would conquer thee by fright!

A thin, sinuous, creeping chill, the scent of glee-filled undeath: white iris, osmanthus, Calla lily, tomb-crawling ivy and a coffin spray of gladiolus, lisianthus and delphinium.