The Woman In White (I.P.)

The light bulbs flicker,
the house feels chilly
and I tell myself
not to be silly.

I know it is cowardly
but I pale at the sight
of an alien creature,
a woman in white.

She is, you might guess,
my resident ghost
though I am reluctant
to play the host.

I see that she’s wearing
a diaphanous dress
and the poor wretch
seems in distress.

Perhaps I should call
on the vicar of Bray
to exorcise her
and send her away.

I remember the time
when she was alive
but now her body
is under the drive.

© Luigi Pagano