Tash

‘Twas only dusk when I set out,
Desiring nature’s breath.
But who could know or e’re expect
I’d suffer worse than death?

‘Twas after dinner that I left,
My mind desiring peace.
But who indeed could e’re have known
That terrors never cease?

I wandered at the pace of joy
Down marvelous woodland trails,
For I was yet still unaware
Of truth in fairy tales.

I passed a lake, meandered on,
And listened to the wind.
I smiled at rose and honeydew,
While followed by a fiend!

In wonder I beheld a light:
The setting crimson sun,
Which painted every tree with auburn,
And beckoned me, “Go on.”

I traveled onward, inward, deeper,
Though darkness soon befell.
And oh! The darkness of these woods
Could rival that of hell.

I sought in vain the pathway home;
My vision soon obscured.
In darkness I perceived one thing:
A demon’s flesh restored.

The throbbing of my heart could rival
That of any drum.
I cursed that wretched, wicked hour
This journey had begun.

All ghosts and spirits seemed to me
Now timid and serene.
For here before me now a devil
To make the demons scream.

In darkness cold a piercing shriek,
From lips as white as ash,
Let forth as I was there consumed
By Satan’s daemon: Tash.