A Day of Black Feathers by Linda M. Crate

uninspired
the gate stands firm
gazing upon the
dawn 
that evades his cool steel
fingers,
and then there is a maid
of sixteen or seventeen
standing outside
the thorny garden pruned and forgotten;
her grey eyes
as dead as he feels inside
her long white hair
seems to declare
her older than she truly is—
covers are rarely
a good judge of character
some of the most poisonous 
are disguised as angels
when they're really demons,
and she is no different;
she is disguised as plain but the witch
opens the gate as if there were never any
lock and she glances behind her as she
fetches a body and drags it with
long nails into the 
forgotten roses
watching as the ravens feast upon the flesh without
a morsel of regret. 







Linda M. Crate's poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines both online and in print. She has three published chapbooks the latest of which came out in August 2016: If Tomorrow Never Comes (Scars Publications). She is also the author of the fantasy novels branded as the Magic series.