Twas a cold and dreadful evening
In my bed I lay unsleeping
As the winds did rattle windows panes
On the roof a constant tapping
Like a thousand fingers rapping
Never-ending lashing of the rains
And then there came a blinding flash
To light the room as thunder clashed
Silhouetted in the window
Twisted, ancient, gnarly spindles
Of an tall and leafless old oak tree
Dark and tall it stood there looming
Just an outline, grim and gloomy
Wildly swinging branches could I see
So black the shadow that it cast
The shadow stained upon the glass
And as the raindrops kept on weeping
Slowly, surely, it came creeping
Larger did its lurking shadow grow
With the thunder loudly booming
Closer did the tree come looming
Lightening lit it with an eerie glow
I lay quite rigid in my bed
And felt a creeping sense of dread
Now the wind was howling, shrieking
Wooden frames of windows creaking
Thunder crashing violently once more
Every flash of piercing lightning
Lit the oak tree up that nighttime
Skulking shadows stretched upon the floor
With branches reaching out to grab
And pointed twigs, like fingers, stabbed!
On the rooftop, branches pressing
Creaking rafters strained and stressing
Gnarly bark was pressed against the glass
All I saw were ancient timbers
Pounding out the feeble window
Gasping bole just like a grinning mask
It almost seemed inside the room
And imminent, my sense of doom!
Darkness came, my eyes, so weary
Closed upon the scene, so dreary
Dreading what the morning would then bring
Sleep was full of broken dreaming
Blackened lands, and voices screaming
Dreadful nightmares did the Oak tree bring
I felt my body twitch and shake
I feared I would then not awake
But at last there came the morning
Rain had stopped, a new day dawning
Eyes were opened, with some hope to spare
What remained of midnight's haunting?
What of the oak tree and it's taunting
Outside, was there anything still there?
There no oak tree, and then I saw
There'd never been one there at all....
