A Place to Dream by Martha Christopher

Martha, “Marty,” Christopher is an artist of an age, a Renaissance woman and a dear, dear friend. She is, or was for twenty-five years or so, a professional singer and musician, entertaining in clubs from Detroit, Michigan to Miami, Florida.
Now retired, she is pursuing her true passion, art. Over a period of a week or two, she dreamed this story and together she and I put it together as a small book (the limited remaining number of which are for sale through this website).

Marty now resides on the Gulf Coast of Florida, hanging out in the jungles around her house; drawing; painting; and mostly enjoying life with her wolf, Tango; cats: Hummer and patchouli ; and husband, David. She says she just might write another poem someday.

Her drawings are wonderful, descriptive, and imaginative. I hope to have jpegs up on the site soon for visitors to enjoy.

A Place to Dream

Part I

I write this poem while in my bed
‘Tis where I go to lose my head
A place I know is always warm
Every night I am reborn.


I cuddle in my flannel sheets
And say a prayer before I sleep
Hold my feather pillow tight
Float off again into the night.

I rise and fly to distant stars
And visit places so bizarre
Old gray mansions, dark and vast
Oh, please dear halls, show me your past.

Tapestries hang to the floor
The balcony has seven doors -
Every one is open wide
In every room someone died.

Grandfather clock is striking five
Now the seven are alive
They gently take me by the hand
To show me through the house so grand.

Every room has tall bookcases
Old dark portraits of dead faces
Bedposts spiraling toward the sky
White laced bedding piled high.

Blood red carpets run down the halls
Drapes hung themselves, there are no walls
Wooden staircases near ten feet wide
They floated, too, and so did I.

The chandelier stretched so wide
I floated down and sat inside
The crystals dazzled and they gleamed
As o’er the sides I did lean.

Looking down to the ballroom floor
A waltz was playing, ‘Mi Amore’
Dancers whirled around the room
Not knowing they were dead and doomed.

But on their faces wore a smile
Enjoying happiness for a while
A proper gent had caught my eye
Oh, handsome one, why did you die?

May I come down and dance with you
Instead of one, you’ll waltz with two
I floated down to his embrace
Looked into his eyes; his beautiful face.

I held him tight ‘tween he and she
And all the time he did not see
My prince and I, we danced ‘til three
But now, my love, it’s time to leave.

How can the living love the dead
I floated up through dust and webs
I chose a room atop the stairs
And settled in a bed of tears.

I listened to the gaiety, the music and the laughter
Maybe he’s the prince that lived, ‘happily ever after’
Shadows moved around the room
The darkness foul and full of gloom.

I pulled the covers round my face
Yes, in the morn I’ll leave this place
It’s quiet now, the music ceased
In moments I was on my feet.

Slowly walking to the door, I listened
The chandelier no longer glistened
My departure seemed to end the ball
Saddened souls now in the hall.

Each one retiring in their gloom
Floating swiftly to their rooms
Then in the stilling of the night
Up the staircase came a light.

Footsteps heavy, steadily creep
I could not waken from my sleep
I turned back and ran to my bed
And pulled the covers o’er my head.

The footsteps coming closer now
The door slammed shut, I know not how
Upon the bed then someone sat
And gently pulled the covers back.

I lay so still I could not move
A sweet voice whispered, ‘I love you’
My precious darling, Martha Lee
T’was you and I who danced ‘til three.

But baby I saw only you
Because, my love, I 'm alive too.
I looked into the face I crave
The prince I see, my darling Dave.

Part II

They say that David inherited
That old mysterious mansion
Because of fear no one went near
As David was Dracula's grandson.

The blackened mansion possessed the strangest powers
As gargoyles leaped from tower to tower
On moonlit nights you can watch with fright
As bats by thousands take to flight.

Thorny hedges and gates surrounded the place
For a warning to all who pass by
'Oh, t’was a frightening sight that old mansion at night
As it loomed up in the moonlit sky.

No one would believe that his mother Jo' Lee
Was a mortal on her wedding night
With just time to conceive her husband Du' Pree
Bared his fangs to take his first bite.

But none too soon this honeymoon
Turned out to be quite a thriller
For her husband was slain
By a priest who was named the infamous Vampire Killer.

Well, the news did race throughout the place
All within the mansion did mourn
And within a year the souls drew near
To help Jo' Lee's baby be born.

'Twas a handsome young lad who grew terribly sad
For his mother had passed at his birth.
He grew up to find he was one of a kind
The last vampire to walk on the earth.

David would climb to the towers and stand there for hours
Wishing sometimes he were dead
He'd get lost in his thoughts and want to jump off
For he knew he could never be wed.

As storms would approach, in the courtyard he'd grope
Through the rain and the splashing mud
He would cry out in vane, in hideous pain
And howl, "I HAVE NO THIRST FOR BLOOD."

Back inside the estate, back and forth he would pace
Then he'd let out a bellowing call
"Come all ye dead souls, come young, come old
We are throwing the best ball of all."

Put on your finery, go down to the winery
Help yourselves to the best wine of all
David greeted his guests, always dressed in his best
And the band took the stage on call.

Before it all ended, Martha Lee descended
To dance in his arms until three.
The love in their souls would never grow old
And would dance on throughout eternity.

They embraced through the night by soft candlelight
Then David revealed his last name
She pulled from his breast, our love can't be blessed
With that horrible blood in your veins.

When morning had come, out the door she did run
Through the gates, out into the street
This curse I'll defeat when I meet with the priest
And be back before morning sun.

When she went to the altar she did not falter
To cry out in anger her plea
I must speak to the one who bravely undone
And killed the vampire Du' Pree.

Then a priest came near, I will speak with you dear
For your heart should not be so smitten
For when I killed Count Du' Pree it set David free
For his mother Jo' Lee was not bitten.

Oh, come with me please with the news that will ease
The sadness that drives him insane
For he was not to blame for his blasphemous name
Will you marry us to start over again?

On their wedding day, they danced and they played
And ran through the mansion with glee
All was going so well, they had broken the spell
And they sat on the terrace for tea.

Then the balcony did sway, the old timbers gave way
And together they fell to their deaths.
Before David died he crawled to his bride
And with their sweet lips they did press.

Twas one moment of bliss with that first and last kiss
And all who looked on sadly cried.

Part III

In a casket of heather they were buried together
And lowered ‘neath the ballroom floor
But each night they would rise - the groom and his bride
And dance to the waltz, ‘Mi Amore.’

Like the rest of the souls, they will never grow old
And dance through eternity
The balls would go on with merriment and song
They they’d return to their crypts at three.

Now as sad as it seems, it was only my dream
My dear readers, come on, after all
You know it sounds corny, when I wake in the morning
I’ll probably never recall.

© 2006 by Martha Christopher

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction
in whole or in parts or in any form.

Book design by BG Burke and Martha Christopher