Her Portrait Poem by Rolland Heiss

Her portrait hangs upon the wall
At the top of the winding stairs
And once her voice was heard to call
From these empty rooms and chairs

These aging floorboards kissed her feet
This mirror held her lovely gaze
Here in the sitting room she'd meet
With neighbors of former days

Upon this bed she laid her head
In peaceful slumber she would dream
At night beneath her quilted spread
'till sunlight pierced the drap'ry seam

But now she sleeps beneath the clay
Beside the church at Midland Falls
And I am moved to kneel and pray
As I traverse these empty halls

For I'm in love with one long dead
Who's portrait hangs above the stairs
Though her spirit has long since fled
And freed her from all earthly cares

Although our love can never be
My dreams of her are growing fast
She embraces eternity
And I embrace the past.

©