Searching For My Love
“Catch me, catch me if you can,”
Then she stuck her tongue out and ran.
She knew he would catch her, he always did,
Only because she let him, after all, he was her best friend.
No one knew she could not tell,
He was a runaway, and only twelve.
It was olden times, way back when,
You wouldn’t believe the things he had seen, the places he had been.
Until he met her, red hair, sun-kissed flames,
Freckled face, Cassie was her name.
A year had passed, and he found himself still here,
He had forgotten he was hunted, forgotten his fear.
So, maybe she was just a year younger,
But her tears, tore at his heart when that bee had stung her.
That’s when they first really met,
A day that he would never forget.
He had watched her for well over a week,
Afraid to face her, afraid to speak.
She came daily to pick berries, and fresh flowers for her table,
Sometimes he would get really brave, and sneak over the hill towards her stable.
Then it happened. A swarm of bees, disturbed in the bush,
Her screams and cries, as he gave her a push.
She landed in the pond, the water cold as ice,
But perhaps that is how she only got stung twice.
She came up hair in her eyes, and sputtering,
Then as the chill hit, she went to shuddering.
He wrapped his shirt around her and held her till she was warm,
And swore he would always keep her safe from harm.
He was eighteen now, and a tear slipped from his eye,
But he swore it was only dirt, cause men didn’t cry.
Where was she now, did she remember him at all?
Did she remember burying each other in the leaves during the fall?
Her mother and father passed away, winter of her twelfth year,
And for the next week, she didn’t appear.
He finally got the nerve to check things out,
Her cabin was deserted, there was no one about.
“No,” He screamed,”Cassie, where can you be?”
“How could you leave without telling me?”
“I will find you, I have to. Somehow, someway”
And still, he searched even today.
He found a letter, but he couldn’t read,
He had never been taught, and until now, didn’t see the need.
Now it was high time he learned.
Cassies aunt from out East come and got her.
But where out East, he searched and searched with no clues,
He didn’t know what else to do.
He couldn’t give up, no, he wouldn’t. They would meet again,
He loved her, his very best friend.
He had women over the years, more than just a few,
But none would ever compare to Cassie, this he knew.
How did she get under his skin?
He smiled through his tears, as he remembered her crooked grin.
His horse was tired, time to camp for the night,
He built up a fire, thought he better eat a bite.
As he lay under the stars, moon shining, and summers heat,
He sighed. Without Cassie, he wasn’t complete.
Part 2
“But Auntie, please I can’t leave. This is my home.”
“You little brat, you can’t stay here alone.”
I don’t like it no more than you do,
But your Grandpa James sent us to get you.”
So Cassie was finally told the real story,
Her mother had been disowned, and now her dad was sorry.
He was a wealthy plantation owner in the Carolinas,
His was the best, there was none finer.
Cassandra, Cassie’s mother, fell in love with a man of no means,
All he had was the clothes on his back and empty dreams.
Couldn’t give her the finer things in life,
But still, Cassandra insisted on becoming his wife.
They eloped, and consummated the marriage,
And to beat it all took Grandpas carriage.
So romantic Cassie thought, a lovers tale,
But Grandpa had wished them both, straight to hell.
He washed his hands of his daughter and her new husband,
And years later he was still cursing them.
But as he grew older, he thought of her all the time,
Because she had been his little darlin, the apple of his eye.
She wrote him a letter when Cassie was born,
So what? It didn’t matter, he had sworn.
But still, over the years, he had often wondered what she was like.
And now, here she was, and such a sweet little tyke.
That had been five years ago, and today she turned seventeen.
The Belle of the Balls, every man’s dream.
But she wasn’t happy, and she wouldn’t tell him why.
At times he would catch her staring at the stars, then she would cry.
It was time for her to marry, several had asked for her hand,
But she didn’t seem to care for any one man.
Well, there was plenty of time, it would be her choice,
Tonight at her party, there would be some new boys.
Jason Tyler’s son was coming home from his London season,
And all the ladies swore he was quite pleasing.
Golden hair, eyes of blue, a dark tan,
“Yes,” He thought, “All the ladies think he’s a quite handsome man.”
He knew Cassie would catch his eye, there was no doubt,
He would probably even escort her about.
In his will, he had left everything to his granddaughter,
And she had two rooms full of things he had bought her.
Still, she was unhappy, and he didn’t know what to do,
Her Auntie, suggested she visit her soon.
But did Cassie want to? That was the question
He told her he would think about her suggestion.
Perhaps it would be best for her to go away,
But he so much wanted her to stay.
Cassie was his favorite, but then, wasn’t she everyones?
As she topped the stairs he announced,”Ah, here she comes,”
All eyes turned towards the stairs, watching, waiting,
All the men anticipating.
She smiled on the outside, but held her tears in,
Her grandfather took her hand, and a waltz began.
So long the night, so mournful her soul,
She felt so lost but tried so hard to maintain control.
She danced, and danced, but could find no peace.
She felt as if she lost her love when she moved East.
Jason Tyler’s son, James, was all he claimed to be,
But deep down, Cassie sensed something eerie.
She shivered inside as he took her hand,
And led her into the night’s last dance.
His smile did not reach his eyes, there was something she could not
name,
It was if he was playing some kind of game.
He scared her, why she did not know,
But she felt relief when an hour later he announced he had to go.
The rest of the night she looked over her shoulder,
Where was her love? Oh, how she wished he were her to hold her.
If only Dustin were here she would be alright,
She wouldn’t be scared as long as he held her tight.
Her party was finally over, she kissed grandpa goodnight,
Thanked him for the party, went to her room, cut out the light.
She walked out onto the balcony, gazed up at the full moon,
Cried herself to sleep, slept until noon.
At last, he found her. He knocked on the door,
He was kind of nervous, what if she didn’t care about him anymore?
Well he had to know, didn’t he? He would finally get to see her again,
The love of his life, his best friend.
“I’m here to see Cassie, I knew her out west,”
I heard she was your guest.”
“Miss Cassie is not here sir, she’s visiting her aunt in the country,
And will not be back till a month from today.”
He felt the knife twist in his heart worse than before,
And knew he was back to searching once more.
Would he ever find her? Maybe they weren’t meant to be.
Perhaps it was time to give up, and he turned to leave.
“Hold young man,” Dustin stopped and turned.
Grandpa James reacted as if he had been burned.
He saw the young man’s face, “No, it could not be,”
He had been dead since the age of three.
“Are you alright sir?” Asked Howard the doorman,
Then he also looked closer at the young man before him.
Surprise, shock, he hardly ever showed emotion,
But he had been with Grandpa James forever and he held his devotion.
He knew all his friends, family, and all their untold tales,
And this one would not bode well.
It was impossible, but there could be no other,
James Tyler’s long lost little brother.
They swore he was dead, even had a grave,
It was said slaves beat him, been too bad to save.
His mother went completely insane,
And John, to this day, felt he was to blame.
“Come in, boy, come In have a seat.”
Would you like something to drink, or perhaps to eat?”
“A drink would be nice sir if you don’t mind,
Been in the saddle since half past nine.”
Grandpa James rang the bell, and Annie brought a tray,
She took one look at the boy and began to pray.
She had been with the family forever,
And after his death helped hold the family together.
But he wasn’t dead, he was alive,
And sitting here before her very eyes.
Land sakes what was going on?
Blessed be, little Dustin Tyler found his way home.
Dustin was getting nervous as the minutes flew by,
They seemed to care about him, but why?
Perhaps Cassie told about him,
But no, they acted like he should know them.
“Sir, I am so sorry to bother you, but I am Cassie’s best friend,
Perhaps I should leave and when she returns visit again.”
“Nonsense, my boy. You are welcome to stay.”
“In fact, I received a letter from Cassie’s aunt today.”
“I haven’t even read it yet, there hasn’t been time,”
Any friend of hers is a friend of mine.”
“Would you excuse me for a moment, there is something I need to do?”
“Certainly sir, I’ll wait here for you.”
Howard left the room with Grandpa James,
Annie still stared. Why were they acting so strange?
“Excuse me, sir,” She said, and finally left,
And here he was, once again by himself.
Grandpa James returned, a quite friendly old man,
But as the hours flew by, he finally began to understand.
John Tyler showed up, at Grandpa James request,
And was completely shocked by his newly arrived guest.
“Dustin?” “But how can it possibly be?”
“They told us you were dead. Died at the age of three.”
“They wouldn’t let us look upon your body, you were beat so bad,”
“Drove your mother quite mad.”
“How do you know, I’m who you claim me to be?”
“Quite simple my boy, that slight star-shaped birthmark on your
cheek.”
“All the Tyler men have one,”
“As did both of my son’s.”
So now, Dustin finally knew where he really belonged,
He still felt the bite of the lash from Carl Long.
So Carl wasn’t his father, he felt relief,
Relief? No more, he actually felt free.
He couldn’t wait till Cassie found out,
She still cared, after talking to Annie he had no more doubts.
He heard of her sadness, and the tears she cried.
“Soon Cassie,”He whispered, “I’ll kiss the tears from your eyes.”
“No, this cannot be,” Said Grandpa James, “I do not understand,”
“Cassie would inform me before she married, any man.”
Dustin felt his world crumble, oh, such torment he felt,
Worse, than the lash upon his back, worse even than the leather belt.
Searching For My Love Part 4
“Why did I come here, she has always hated me?”
“I should have known she had something devious up her sleeve.”
Cassie tried the door one more time,
Even though she knew it was bolted from the outside.
“Oh what a fool you are,”
She had tried to run but didn’t get far.
The salty tears burned her face in patches,
Where her aunt’s claws had left scratches.
She still felt the broken ribs and the bruises on her back,
From the heated anger of the attack.
She could hardly walk from her injured knee,
Where James had slammed her against the tree.
How could she even think to marry someone so cruel?
Why did her grandpa even want her too?
When she received his letter and began to read,
She found it so hard to believe.
“It is at my insistence that you marry James,
When you join, your children will carry both families names.
The bloodline will carry on,
And the power of both families will remain strong.”
It just did not sound like grandpa, no indeed it didn’t,
So where did she fit in?
The more she thought, the letter from grandpa was a fake,
He swore what he did to mama was a mistake.
Besides he hadn’t wanted her to even come on this journey,
And she knew that he had worried.
“Oh no, Did they send him a letter?”
Oh if they did I hope he knows better”
“But wait, if he knows I am to marry, he will come,
And stop this farce, before it has begun.
She cried herself to sleep but the nightmares did not come,
Instead, she dreamed of her lost love, Dustin.
part 5
“Settle down boy, let’s talk this through.”
“I know her better than you do.”
She wouldn’t marry without telling me,
Something’s wrong here, can’t you see?”
“None of the boys around have caught her eye,
Though all of them have tried,
And the night of her party, she was afraid of James,
At the time I thought it strange.”
“No, no, no, no, no, let me go,
There is something all of you should know.”
“My God Marge, how did you get away,”
“No Jason, it’s okay, let her stay.”
The woman in question had been a beauty at one time,
Of course, that had been before she lost her mind.
Now she looked like an empty shell,
Escaped from the pits of hell.
As she went to take a seat she saw her son,
And she hugged him in front of everyone.
She had been locked in her room since his death,
“Oh my God, he’s alive,” She said.
Tears once started she could not stop them,
And she just kept looking at him.
And at that moment she actually looked sane,
The Marge of old, once again.
“Sit everyone, there is something you should all know,”
“In order to help Cassie, we all have to go,”
“No,” She held her hand up to stop the protest,
“I have quite a bit to confess.”
“We cannot allow Cassie to marry James, even if he loved her”
You see, he is her brother.”
Shock went through the crowd gathered there,
No, she was still mad, and they all stared.
“No, please listen to my story”
“Jason, I am really sorry.
You had been gone for such a long time,
It was not love or anything, just to much wine.”
“Grandpa James it was before he and Cassandra met,”
For such a long time I tried to forget.
He never knew he had a son,
And I never told anyone.”
“Well Marge, explain the Tyler birthmark,
“Quite simple Jason, it’s a tattoo of a star.
It isn’t real, it’s a fake,
It is one that I had Old Davy make.”
Everyone turned to look at Dustin then,
And Marge looked at him with a heartwarming grin.
“Yes he is a real Tyler, he is your son,”
She hugged him once again and said,” Welcome home.”
“Now, we have to help Cassie escape,
For she is in trouble, make no mistake.”
James is evil, and Mae is as well,
I have heard so many secrets, no one thought I could tell.”
At this moment Jason thought he could forgive his wife anything,
She looked so alive again, his son was home, later he would worry what tomorrow would bring.
Dustin seethed inside though as time went by,
If Cassie was hurt, someone would die.
He heard her scream, felt her pain, he woke in a sweat,
That was one nightmare he would love to forget.
But he couldn’t. Sleep would not come,
And when the others woke, they realized he had left before the
morning sun.
Part 6
She screamed, over and over it played in his mind,
He just prayed he would get there on time.
They had hurt her, somehow he knew,
He already knew what he was going to do.
Nearer and nearer to his goal,
His love, his heart, his soul.
It had taken a lifetime, but he was near,
And last night, he had felt her fear.
She had also called his name through her tears,
Soon he would have his Cassie, after all these years.
At last, he reached his destination,
And looked in total frustration.
Three stories tall, so many rooms,
How would he find her, the house was so huge?
A scream tore through the morning,
And she crashed on the balcony without warning.
“I’ll jump, I swear I will leave me be,
If I die, you get nothing from me.”
She’s right Mae, it’ll just be a waste of time,
Come, I have something else in mind.”
Dustin could not hear what was being said,
And he looked at the balcony in dread.
No, Cassie, he prayed silently,
I’m here to set you free.
While they were occupied with her he snuck in the front door,
And hid as they came down the stairs to the first floor.
He wanted to kill them both where they stood,
But right now, that wouldn’t do any good.
James and Mae, left through the side door,
And Dustin rushed up to the third floor.
He took the butt of his pistol and broke the lock,
Those two weren’t really that smart.
It was an old lock almost rusted in too,
And as he opened the door, Cassie’s bruised face came into view.
As he took her in his arms and felt her tears,
He swore he would make up for all their lost years.
There was no time now though for he heard them come,
And pulled Cassie behind him as he held his gun.
Oh how he wanted to kill those two,
But he couldn’t do it in cold blood, and that he already knew.
As they walked through the door he thought they would strike,
But they had his mother in front, and his father at their side.
Maniacal laugh come from deep in Jame’s throat,
To him, this was all fun and games, one big joke.
Searching For My Love 7
“So little brother you still live.”
Thought Carl would have had you killed.”
Mae laughed at some secret the two shared,
Carl had loved young boys and she was dying to ask how he fared?
So now it was all coming about,
And it was high time that they all found out.
Mae was one sick lady,
And took right to James when he was a baby.
Still, none of it made sense, was it money, need,
Madness or greed? Seemed like a combination of all,
But Dustin was determined to cause their downfall.
How was he to protect Cassie, his mother, and his father,
And to beat it all protect them from his brother?
If he could just stall for time, think of a plan,
It would have been so easy against one woman and a man.
But now two more hostages, and family at that,
This had to be as bad as it could get.
But he couldn’t be more wrong,
Because James was getting nervous this was taking too long.
He grabbed his mother by the hair of the head,
And swore if he didn’t give over Cassie, she was as good as dead.
He could see the fear in her eyes, feel her pain,
And for a moment he was afraid that once again she would go insane.
Part 8
Marge was shaking but not from fear,
Anger that they took her son away from here.
James had always been troubled and mean
Crazy from the start so she believed.
How could a seven- year old be so cruel,
And Mae, she was such a fool.
She really wasn’t an aunt, no relation,
But had always been near ready for any situation.
And now she thought to destroy them all,
Only one chance, she prepared to fall.
As she went down, she tried to drag him with her,
The pistol went off barely missing her.
Off balance now, James fell, and hit his head,
No movement, no breath, he was dead.
Mae getting over her initial shock,
Heard the chiming of the grandfather clock.
Now it was much, much too late,
She could not accept her fate.
She owed the collectors way too much,
Time had passed, soon they would be coming up.
Her life had depended on Cassie’s wealth,
She had planned on killing James and keeping the money for herself.
Her plan had been to leave before they come,
Sell Cassie and run.
All that money would have been hers,
Just think of the diamonds, rubies, and furs.
Go way out west where she was an unknown,
No more poverty, and a home of her own.
Now old crazy Marge had even spoiled that,
The rest of her life would be in a dungeon full of rats.
Maybe not she thought as a plan ran through her mind,
If she could get to Cassie everything would be fine.
Jason was picking Marge up from the floor,
As Dustin held Cassie, Mae eased towards the door.
She had to do it, she had to escape,
For if the collectors came they would take her away.
She made it, she breathed a deep sigh,
For she wasn’t quite ready to die.
She didn’t know where she would go, or what she would do,
But somewhere somehow she would start new.
As she mounted her horse she smiled, then she laughed aloud,
Grandpa James and his golden cloud.
Yes, he still had the money, and he was all alone,
By the time the others discovered she would be long gone.
Grandpa James took a walk around two,
And she would get there soon.
He was an old man shouldn’t be too hard,
If she could just catch him alone in the yard.
Grandpa James went for his usual walk,
“Damn I should have gone with them he thought.”
Even though he was old, he was capable,
Maybe no longer quick on his feet but his mind was still stable
Funny thing, he hadn’t realized how much he had changed,
When Cassie had come into his life he had felt so strange.
And now Dustin was back from the dead,
Then there was Marge, once again with a clear head.
He smiled as he thought of the new life he would lead,
The people he loved was all he would ever need.
Great Grandchildren, he thought in surprise,
But then he fell as something hit him between the eyes.
Mae emerged from behind an oak tree,
Looking so pleased.
The old fool shouldn’t wander around alone,
And especially so far away from home.
That was okay though it suited her just fine,
She was miles ahead of the others she had plenty of time.
As she bent over Grandpa James to pick his pockets,
He flicked a switch on his cane and tore her eye clean out of its socket.
“It will take more than that to knock me out,”
Grandpa James said with a shout.
Mae was screaming and crying with pain,
Mumbling incoherently, in fact, she was going insane.
Four men came through the forest trees,
Took one look at her, then decided to leave.
She wouldn’t last, it wasn’t worth their time,
They wouldn’t collect from a woman that was dying.
Wasn’t even worth selling to get their pay,
A half a million dollars down the drain.
They shook their heads the boss wasn’t going to like this,
But that was not their problem it was his.
Two days later they found Mae dead,
Shot herself, a bullet to the head.
Peace had come at long last,
And it was high time to bury the past.
Cassie and Dustin were married in June,
Under a million stars and the full of the moon,
Grandpa lived to see two great-grandchildren, twins at that,
The Tylers were reunited at last.
© Cynthia Clark
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