Surrounded

Composed for an image prompt by Ariadne Pautina :)

There are paths leading to me
that seldom return you to your destiny.
I've carved out a bracket 
just to see 
How many will be enticed 
to leave their lives behind,
Give unto me and the deception 
they can't perceive, 
feeling safe 
under a roof that might not hold
when they arrive to steal the 
remaining parts of their souls. 

A sanctuary so safe
that their screams are absorbed 
without fail.
It's a quagmire of pretence
Where a failsafe is no defence. 
The green cover tuning in 
to their rising fear,
What better way to delude them
than the cover of a forest
promising a retreat... 
promptly delivering them 
to the hunger of the beast.

I silently wait 
for their eagerness
to escape.
Standing still 
has its own benefits.
The entry is sought after
for the promised tranquil
Yet the ones who've
been subsumed
were hardly ever missed.
Or perhaps it is the forest 
That doesn't let the world outside
peek in.  
I thrive in the middle 
white and grey 
turning the green anvil
into a monument of decay.

Tiny watercolour painting made by yours truly in a tiny sketchbook

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This was composed for an image prompt shared by Ariadne Pautina <3 Sharing the link to the note below: