The Stairway

At a certain spot that you pass
When you walk in
If you care to look up,
You’ll see the sunlight streaming through a window in the ceiling
Casting shadows on the walls opposite
Making you wonder where it led to
And simultaneously catching yourself for being inappropriate

Then you distract yourself with the paintings on the walls
And stop to admire the intricate carvings on the wrought-iron railing
And you think the strains of music in the background and the perfume wafting by
Go well together
You walk on into the perfect setting laid out for you

The hostess plays out with charm
And welcomes you graciously
The meal is sumptous,
The conversation, entertaining
and the dance, romantic

And when you leave,
Maybe you pass in a hurry to be on your way
But on that chance you look back
You see the stairs again, dark and forbidding
And involuntarily shudder before you pass and forget

The after-taste of fine wine lingers on
And you carry the tune that you danced to, in your head
Long after they’ve died down
And you never again think of the stairway
That welcomed your arrival
And lay brooding as you left.