Westfield Mansion

A shaded lane, flanked on its side
By regal poplar trees
Snakes through the fields of summertime
And meets a gate of steel

Not iron, mind you, bronze nor wood
But steel of stainless grace
Expanding willfully and cold
Around a sprawling place

Of shrubs and flowers, bedded well
And trimmed with sculpted lawn
Of swimming fish, reflecting pools
And dazzling water falls

A peacock strolls with leisured gait
And throws his wheel of pride
Beyond the heavy, stainless gate
That guards the other side

You wish to enter, asks a voice
Which floats upon the breeze
And holds the moment of your choice
As though it held the keys

But how? You ask, your knuckles white
Your fingers clutching steel
Am I to find the other side?
Am I to know it’s real?

The steel between your trembling hands
Dissolves into thin air
And there you stand upon the lands
Upon the golf green’s fair

The peacock turns and walks away
You are inside at last
No eye has seen you cross the gate
And walk into the past

Or so it seems as you draw near
The mansion’s massive mark
As though a dream of yesteryear
Were playing in its park

An edifice, a monument
That sparkles in the sun
Stands stately on the sprawling land
And beckons you to come

It stands and listens, waiting still
A calm and gentle breeze
Sweeps from the lake below the hill
And cradles it in peace

Where are the ones who live in here?
The keepers of the grounds?
Its haunting silence casts a fear
The ear can hear no sound

But somehow, as your mind turns free
It hears the songs of larks
And orchestrated melodies
Seem floating through the park

Just now your lungs receive the air
A whiff of sweet perfume
The wind spreads fingers through your hair
In rhythm with the tune

And then you see her, clear and bright
She’s coming down the lane
Emerging in the summer light
And whispering your name

Her hair is touched by golden rays
Her eyes reflect the sun
She takes your hand and leads the way
As though she knew you’d come

Between the mansion and the gate
She binds you with a smile
Her eyes reveal your earthly fate
She begs for but a while

Come here my child, she whispers sweet
Your world dissolves in bliss
My heart is yours, its every beat
A mother’s gentle kiss

You reach for her, you touch the light
You feel the warmth of morn
Your hands clutch steel with all their might
Yet, you were never born.