COME CLOSER

THE GARDEN

THE GARDEN

The benevolent sun warms and gently caresses my radiant skin.

And I am safe.

A heady fragrance fills the air; accompanying and adding to the presence of the kaleidoscopic plant life that blooms amongst the merry beds and borders.

I inhale deeply as waves of contentment roll over my recumbent body.

How I adore the smell of the freshly cut grass, and the wonderful lily-of-the-valley scent of the yellow blossomed mahonia.

Snowdrops run like dollops of white cotton through the upright blades; while crimson azaleas, blue rhododendrons and mauve petunias give texture and colour to my surroundings.

I am at peace.

But these heady days must be treasured and memorised, for the blessed sun and its beauty is but a fleeting fancy, hence its passing will be greatly mourned.

This beloved garden that I nurture with my own bare hands, is familiar and safe in the comforting light of day, and a constant source of pleasure;

But once the forbidding veil of darkness has fallen, it is the haunt of vile and diabolical nightmares.

And I am afraid.

For with the cold, insidious darkness comes fear, and fear permits the binding shadows to spread their rancid phlegm;

They clamber to twist a deceased digit into the imagery of my mind, claiming victory for the demons and spirits of the night.

And I fear them.

Thus no godly man should dare tread amongst the chill and its iniquitous phantoms.

Alas the beloved garden is no longer a safe sanctuary in which I choose to wander:

Not once the benevolent sun fails to warm and gently caresses my radiant skin

And the shadows of the night make their heinous claim on my beloved garden.