What lurks behind this ornate gate,
well wrought with iron, painted black?
What specters circumambulate,
from whom blocked entrance warns, turn back?

What lurid acts, macabre and vile,
befell estate's inhabitants?
What glinting knives used to defile
and strip them of their innocence?

Are bodies buried neath the weeds
and vines that choke the unkempt lawn?
Do victims of horrific deeds
still haunt the grounds then sleep at dawn?

Whose bones were pulverized to dust
that covers every creaking stair?
Is that a coat of sanguine rust
or blood upon the old porch chair?

Is burning curiosity
to find those answers that await
enough to make you turn the key
to see what lies beyond this gate?