The Black Dress

Hanging
In the darkest corner of the closet
Is the black dress

A simple thing really
Matte black strapless
Elastic and form-fitting

It lurks there, a malign spirit
Waiting to unleash its power once more

A dark harbinger
Patiently it bides its time
Slowly bleeding a black miasma
It sleeps..for now

I should kill it now
But cannot bear the idea
Why is this?
I know not, simply that it is so

By Fate's darkly serendipitous hand
We were brought together
And will be till I die
A longer marriage than most

Every time the dress comes out
Evil things have happened
Emily, my beloved, wore the dress once

A month later she was dead

I mourned, a terrible accident
No reason to think otherwise
Why would I?
Who would think a dress capable of murder?

So I kept it
Tucked away in the closet
And over time
Its power began to increase

One day, I had a lady friend over for a visit
She saw the dress and was enchanted
They seemed made for each other
I saw no harm and let her take it

A few weeks later she was dead

When it was returned I saw it had changed
It felt sleeker and was a darker richer black
Surely that couldn't be so,pure madness
I put in the far back of the closet nonetheless

I could feel it all the time
A sly presence whispering on the edges
Teasingly in the corner of the mind's eye
Sometimes saturating the very air with dark intent

I looked in on it once some time ago
And saw a glossy sheen and a different silhouette
Recoiling in horror, I slammed the door
Dear Lord ..it's ..growing up

I don't feel it much anymore
But that gives me very little comfort
We're just bonded that much closer now
And I am that much more corrupted

It will stay locked in the closet
A vampire entombed in its coffin
And one day, when life has become dull and old
I suppose I'll open the closet again..