A Very Familiar Stranger

As I try to tell this story my skin's no longer tight,

As if it wants to leave and get away from me,

But I've lived through this night of fright,

And found real signs of other life,

In disbelief I'll tell you what I've seen...

It started out as simply normal driving in my car,

Taking in the world and marveling the stars above,

When a woman out of nowhere appeared to be in need,

So I stopped to reach a helpful friendly hand,

But something wasn't right!

She wouldn't speak at all but I felt this urge to help her,

As I told the girl to please get in my car,

She looked on the verge of death pure white and freezing cold,

So I placed my coat around her fragile arms,

In a couple minutes time her face showed signs of life,

She finally spoke and asked to take her home,

She gave to me an address I assured her to relax,

For in minute's time she'd be there safe and warm,

As I came across her cottage my hitchhiker was home,

She thanked me so and walked up through the door,

As I turned to pull away I remembered of my jacket,

She wore it as she struggled to stay warm,

I left my car and rang the bell thinking she'd be waiting,

Instead I got the mother of my girl,

She said that she'd been waiting and not to say a word,

And down a narrow hall she took my hand and led the way,

We stopped in a tiny room that looked as if un-lived,

All around sat pictures of my stranger's face,

But the borders they were black the signature of death,

She informed me that my passenger was dead,

I didn't believe a word she was sitting right beside me,

Only minutes back riding in my car,

She took my hand and led me back outside and through a gate,

To a private cemetery in the yard,

On a grave there sat a picture of my unexpected guest,

From the grave I learned she died some time ago,

She said in stranger's cars her daughter finds a ride,

For an accident had brought her to the ground,

And every night she comes home to please her lonely mother,

It's an instinct from the time she spent on earth,

But she is gone she assured me death had come,

And this ghostly image was living on in my mind,

I told her to cherish her spirit,

She just sat and cried at the grave,

I told her to cherish her spirit,

She just sat and cried at the grave,

In the cold she was in mourning at the passing of her child,

So I felt the need to leave and let her be,

But I stopped to quickly question who was my freezing stranger?

She was the perfect image of the girl,

As I turned to leave the madness I caught a flash of something,

It was sticking out from underneath the grave,

In a shocking revelation I became at one with death,

As instantly I learned the woman spoke the truth,

For in the grave before me my jacket in the ground,

The one I gave my stranger on this night, this very night!

She was my stranger, yet she was dead, familiar stranger.