The Sacrifice Poem by David Lewis Paget

They took her up to the mountain top
With the altar set in place,
I screamed and shouted for them to stop,
But they laughed, spat in my face.
They threatened me as they laid her down
On that cold grey marble slab,
Then stripped the clothes from her shivering form
As I told them they were mad.

She lay exposed for the world to see
As they formed a line around,
So grim they looked in their livery
In their hoods, and long black gowns,
I wasn't part of their magic cell
And they said I'd have to leave,
Before enacting their secret spell
That would leave me then to grieve.

‘You're just a pack of barbarians, '
I shrieked, but the mood was tense,
‘Go play with your Rastafarians, '
They laughed, but it made no sense,
Why would they murder an innocent girl
In the third phase of the moon,
Just to appease some devilish god
On the first Sunday in June.

Two hulking brutes took a-hold of me
And they dragged me down the hill,
I said, ‘you're all going to pay for this,
You're denying my free will.'
They left me there and they climbed back up
But they'd said, ‘You'd best beware,
You might be a second sacrifice
Should you try to come back there.'

I heard their horrible mumble as
The group began to chant,
It came in waves from the hilltop graves
Like some evil covenant,
But then the scream of a four wheel drive
Came roaring up the hill,
Filled with the men in uniform
I can see the vision still.

Three shots rang out, there was quite a rout
As the hoods had turned to flee,
Stumbling down the mountainside
And a few had passed by me,
I wondered then who had brought them there
To defeat this evil scheme,
It's beyond belief, but I felt relief
When the girl began to scream.

A year has flown, but I'm not alone
Since they saved that sacrifice,
She's home and free, and she married me,
And I must admit, it's nice.
I've often said, ‘What was in your head,
When you turned to me, ' and stuff,
‘I thought I might as well marry you
Since you saw me in the buff.'

8 April 2017