Harriet Nelson

Harriet Nelson was heard to say
(And often in a boastful way)
That she could see the shadowy ghosts
Of those who'd passed away.

It's true, she was a lonely lass,
Her pigtails crooked, and shabbily dressed.
She'd tried to impress the Pullman boys
By telling them she was divinely blessed.

Her bragging led her to the roof,
Where she offered to summon up as proof
The ghost of Dowager Dufield.
Below, the boys remained aloof.

Harriet, silhouetted by the star-filled night,
Raised up her arms with lurid delight.
She cried: "Come to me, old Gertie my dear
And give those Pullman boys a fright!"

It was then, that Harriet's foot slipped on the slate.
She fell from the roof to her untimely fate.

Now folks will say they've seen her ghost.
Often, they say, she is heard to boast
That she can see the Living now,
And she misses Them the most.

Harriet Nelson was originally published in Little Bang, in 2008