The Cause of My Sad Death

A Lament from the Duchess of Hauteur

On seeing her, I had to pause.
Her head was swathed in reams of gauze.
The ice was slick,
Her death was quick,
Concussion was the likely cause.

The autopsy was swift and sure,
(For death there is, alas, no cure.)
She’s here no more,
It smites my core,
I’ll sorely miss my maid so pure.

For now, I mourn my lovely Beth,
Lament she’s drawn her final breath.
A tragic fall
Outside the mall
Delivered her untimely death.

No longer shall I see her smile,
Nor see her face so free of guile,
An honest soul,
She’ll leave a hole.
Coping without her will be vile.

My lady’s maid was here, then gone.
Now it’s I who must soldier on.
I can’t long grieve,
Death made her leave---
But I must have a girl anon!

So I’ll replace departed Beth,
As quickly as I draw next breath.
To do without
A maid about,
Would be the cause of my sad death.

_{© J. Bradley Burt 2022}

About talebender

A retired principal, superintendent, and school district director of education, I am a graduate of York University and the Ryerson School of Journalism. I have published eleven novels and nine anthologies of tales, all of which may be found in both paperback and e-book formats on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. A free preview of the books, and details regarding purchase, may be found at this safe site--- http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/precept. I live with my wife in Ontario and Florida, where I'm at work on a twelfth novel and a tenth collection of tales.

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