she could never really say
what had taken place
and the papers didn’t add much,
just that now
she was a recognizable face
and when the jury came back
with the verdict that sealed her fate
one way or the other
her expression held no trace
or an inkling
of whether or not
she was the one
they called
Midnight Lace

I watched closely
as they led her away
someone was weeping
and across the room
‘heard a young man say
‘it’s a cryin’ shame
the sun sets on a day
when the likes of her
ain’t allowed to play.’

and though many agreed
that the punishment
didn’t deserve the crime
the law was blind
as they led her down the line
for it seems that she loved
wild and long
and some men stayed on
way too long
and many,
too many it seems,
were laid
right down
to that cold deep ground
with a smile on their face
sealed in their fate
by the one
they called
Midnight Lace