By Brianna Malotke
Sitting quietly on the stone bench
The damp, brisk air had a chill
Or was it just in her bones?
Goosebumps on her arms and
Whispers in the wind
Waiting for his arrival
She sat watching the moonlight
Bounce off of the headstones
The soft grey markers
Dotting her view, she waited
The ticking of her watch
The soft tap-tap-tap
Of her heart in her chest
She continued to wait
The ink black midnight sky
Above her with the damp grass
Below her feet, she sat
And she waited for him
An uneasy feeling in her gut
As a blurry figure came into view
Staying still, she waited
Time stilled yet her watch
It still did tick
But her heart started to race
The tap taps increased in speed
The shadowless figure continued
His path towards her bench
The moonlight illuminated
The figure’s porcelain features
The gaunt cheeks and
Bone white eyes
He left no trail as he came
Closer and closer to her
No branches snapped
No leaves crunched
He floated smoothly
On the path to her
Sitting, waiting for his arrival
The moonlight still catching
The tombstones in the cemetery
Closer and closer he came
The cold marble beneath her
The grim face in front of her
Everything seemed to still
The figure in front of her
Outstretched his boney hand
The ticking of her watch seemed
Louder than ever before
Glancing down, she tapped
The marble stone bench
As his hand waited for her
To take it in hers
She noticed it was not her
Heartbeat she had heard
Earlier in her moments of waiting,
But instead the tapping of the bench
Beneath her where she sat, staring
Into the silent face in front of her
She waited briefly before taking
The firm hand of the reaper.
(Bio:Brianna Malotke is a freelance costume designer and writer based in Illinois. While most of her writing is research based and travel related, she loves writing spooky short stories and creepy poetry. With a love for horror movies and mystery novels, she enjoys using poetry as a creative outlet. In any spare time she has outside of working, watching crime shows, and reading, she enjoys boxing and keeping a sewing related blog. She will be a Writer in Residence at the Chateau d’Orquevaux in Orquevaux, France in 2022.)
Here’s Brianna’s website:https://brimalotke.wixsite.com/malotkewrites