Doppelgänger Poem by David Lewis Paget

Doppelgänger



I had seen the woman briefly on
A trip to Baden-Baden,
Where I'd gone to sell my perfumes,
And my stock of fragrant oils.
It was at the Roman Spa where she
Had briefly parked her car, and I
Just couldn't help but notice
How her hair fell into coils.

Then she turned her face toward me
And my heart, it almost halted,
For she had the bluest eyes that I
Had ever seen, I swear,
And her mouth was like a ruby, and it
Pouted, and it drew me,
And I followed her along the
Schiller Strasse thoroughfare.

But I lost her in the traffic, and I
Wandered, almost frantic,
I had looked for her forever, this,
The woman of my dreams,
Then I saw her, in the distance
In the Baden Grand Casino,
She was on the Black Jack tables
Dealing cards just like a queen.

Well, to make this story shorter, I
Pursued, and then I caught her,
And we fell in love and married,
Honeymooned the second week,
Then we went to Recklinghausen
Where my cousin kept a house, and
Took a barge along the old Kanal,
Our happiness complete.

We settled down in Essen, bought
A small Delicatessen,
And she watched the shop while I
Would do my rounds to earn my keep,
But I started hearing rumours, as you know,
They grow like tumours,
And my happiness was shattered
'Til at last, I couldn't sleep.

For they said that my wife, June,
Was spending every afternoon
In a bar on Friedrich Strasse,
With a man called Heinrich Krupp,
But I didn't dare to ask her,
Any more than bomb Alaska,
For the shop was doing well just then,
And sales were fairly up.

I wanted so to trust her, and
In truth, and to be just, I must
Admit that she made love to me
Each evening, at our flat,
So I swallowed my suspicions
And allowed her some remissions,
How could I have even thought
That she would fool me, just like that.

But the day came that I saw her,
In a market, in the foyer,
But she disappeared before
I had a chance to seize my hat,
So I went back to the Deli
In a rage, and almost ready
To destroy my perfect marriage
In just twenty seconds, flat.

She was there behind the counter
With a smile, a bit of banter,
'Why on earth are you back here
When you're supposed to be in Hamm? '
So I stopped myself, and wavered,
'Well, you want the back porch pavered,
So I thought I'd take some time to do
A few odd tasks at home.'

The rumours still persisted,
All the places she was listed,
It was driving me stone crazy, though
I couldn't fault her then,
But one day she came, eyes glistening,
It seems that she'd been listening
To some of the old rumours that
Had slandered her good name.

She insisted that we marry, once
Again, to curb the story that she'd
Always been unfaithful,
'Will you do it for me, Kunz? '
I was proud, and so forgiving
And so happy to be living that
I told her: 'Sure! We'll tie the knot,
We'll stop their vicious tongues.'

So we did, right there in Essen,
And I thought we'd taught a lesson
To the rumour-mongers there who
Tried to split our happy home,
But the rumours, they persisted,
Though I thought that they'd desisted,
Now they showed me lists of sightings
Where they swore they'd seen her roam.

One morning, on a Monday,
I forgot, and thought it Sunday,
I came back home with the paper
Just a little before noon,
But on entering the kitchen, by
The fridge we hang the fritz in
Were two women sitting talking, and
They both looked just like June.

I stood and stared, dumfounded,
Bulging eyes, and jaw so grounded
But the women took to giggling,
Then fell about the room.
'Which of you is my wife June? ' I said,
Both nodded in the gloom, quite red,
The one sat at the left said:
'Meet my twin, her name is Dune.'

'In answer to your question, we had
Quite forgot to mention, that you're
Married to us both... We share
In everything with you! '
And I couldn't tell between them
Not one shorter, not one lean one,
So I sat right there between them
Thinking: 'What's a guy to do? '

Now our evenings are pleasant, we
Might feed on fowl or pheasant,
Then play parlour games 'til supper,
Whether wine, or cheese and bread,
Then my June and Dune start yawning,
They start early in the morning,
So I put away my paper, say:
'I think it's time for bed! '

8 September 2008

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
C T Heart 07 September 2008

What a story to tell..............nice piece to share...To early for a holloween 'Trick and treat' (kiddin) .

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David Lewis Paget

David Lewis Paget

Nottingham, England/live in Australia
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