She's a vision in the darkened room
with a veil for her face
That masks all her loveliness
concealed by black lace ~
With her skin so soft and tender
a true essence of beauty,
She is a dream, a vision;
the lady of mystery.

She's dressed in pure scarlet
with ribbons in her hair
Clothed in the colour of passion
as many turn to stare 
At this ghost or apparition,
a dream-like fantasy,
This vision that's before them;
the lady of mystery.

She stops to turn a moment
in the soft glow of candlelight
As if to hear a whisper
at the hour of midnight ~
And as her dress falls from her shoulder
to reveal her sheer beauty
A tattoo of a rose that marks
the lady of mystery.

Then as quick as she had appeared
the vision of her is gone
Was she just an apparition,
a mirage all along?
For her image haunts the minds of all
who thought she was the epitome,
A fantasy too out of reach;
the lady of mystery.

But outside in the darkened streets
under the soft moonlight
Stood a figure so very striking
as she tiptoed through the night ~
Her scarlet dress behind her
flowing in the breeze
She deftly moved in silence;
the lady of mystery.

By the lake she pauses,
she seems to hesitate
As she listens in the darkness
for the hour is very late ~
Reflecting in the moonlight
she sits silently,
As the veiled face disguises
the lady of mystery.

She seems to await arrival
of a midnight rendezvous
Under a velvet black sky
and a blanket of starry jewels ~
Christened by the moonlight
she waits patiently
For the lover she's come to meet;
this lady of mystery.

Then in the darkness she feels him
touch her milky skin
With the loving tenderness
as she comes to him ~
Her dress falls from her shoulders
impassioning her beauty
While he passionately kisses
the lady of mystery.

Engulfed by burning passion
stepping from her scarlet dress
She feels a deep desire
to reveal her nakedness ~
As their hearts beat in unison
embracing passionately
She lets go of her inhibitions;
this lady of mystery.

The passion of his burning touch
she feels his soft caress
Upon her naked body
with his lips upon her breast ~
The feeling of pure pleasure
is such sweet ecstasy
As she surrenders her guise
as the lady of mystery.

She removes the veil that conceals
the beauty of her face
While her hair cascades her shoulders
with her hat not in its place ~
He takes in all her loveliness
before him that he sees
As he ravishes the beautiful
lady of mystery.

Some say she's an apparition
in a veil and scarlet dress
A vision of pure elegance
that simply does not exist ~
For no one saw the essence
of this ravishing beauty,
The night that I made love to
the lady of mystery.

© Christina
5th October, 2002

"When I began this poem, I had no idea where it was heading.  What has resulted is the beautiful tale of the mystery of this woman, who only came out around midnight.  People wondered was she real or an apparition, or a fantasy?  No one was sure....all except one.  The last two lines give a twist from the third person to the first person, as it tells from a man's point of view that it was the night he made love to this beautiful woman of mystery."