The Obsession Poem by Loyd C Taylor Sr

Sam was in no way a spiritual man.
He prayed not a day of his life—
Until he caught sight of the lovely Jill,
Who was Sam's neighbor Joe's young wife.

Jill was a creature of beauty
Admired from across the street,
Where Sam dreamed of holding her tightly,
Imagining kisses so sweet.

Day after day from a distance,
Sam watched Jill come and go,
Whispering over and over,
'Oh, God, how I wish I were Joe.'

Sam found himself quite enamored,
Absorbed in his own fantasies,
And soon he turned to praying,
With lots of time down on his knees.

But even while he was praying,
Lustful thoughts of Jill took control.
'Oh, God, may I please have sweet Jill? '
He pleaded deep down in his soul.

'Oh, God, how I wish I were Joe, '
Over and over Sam cried.
Then one day his prayers were answered,
When, suddenly, neighbor Joe died.

No one was sure what had happened
Or why Joe had taken his life,
But Sam looked upon it as 'good luck'
And took aim at Joe's widowed wife.

Sam went to Joe's end-of-life service
And as the young widow stood near,
Squeezed her hand and smiled sweetly at her—
Even managed to shed a few tears.

He should have become suspicious
When he took Jill's tender hand,
For when he bent to kiss it,
He saw no wedding band.

Sam drove to the cemetery;
Stood over Joe's grave for a while;
Said, 'Too bad, ol' boy, but thank you! '
Then he headed for Jill's with a smile.

While the grass was still taking root
To the sod where Joe's body lay,
Sam began courting Joe's widow,
And thought of her night and day.

Before Joe's body had grown cold,
Sam took Jill as his wife.
But all too soon he knew he had made
The worst mistake of his life!

As soon as they left the chapel
Where they had exchanged wedding rings,
Jill convinced Sam to sell his house
And all his material things.

She then took control of Sam's money;
Bought a mansion fit for a king;
Arranged for separate bedrooms;
And removed her wedding ring.

Jill would not cook, nor did she clean;
She nagged Sam morning and night,
Till his life became one of misery
Obsession had brought on his plight.

The kisses that Sam had dreamed of
Lived only in fantasies,
For Jill spurned his cries for romance,
Though he pleaded on bended knees.

Sam continues his nightly prayer vigil.
At Joe's grave, he bends his head low.
He's often heard weeping and crying,
'Oh, God, how I wish I were Joe! '