Disclaimer: I don't own The Phantom of the Opera nor any of the characters. Everyone knows this.
Author's note: This is a poem I wrote in the summer of 2001. I submitted a condensed version of it to a contest and was one of the winners. This poem is to be published in two volumes of poetry, including The Best Poetry of 2002 and read aloud on a CD: The Sounds of Poetry.
Guidance
Christine crossed herself slowly and bent her head.
.
"Oh God…I don't know what to so.
He asked me to run away with him.
No, he's demanding I run away with him.
How could I say no?
.
"He wants to know how I feel about him.
I would like to know the same thing.
When I think of him, I can't make out his face;
I only see Erik.
.
"Erik's stance, his rare smiles, his tears.
And, oh, Erik's magnificent hands!
Those abnormally long, thin fingers
Commanding the keys.
.
"Lord, I know he's a murderer and a thief,
But do they not also have feelings?
Do they deserve happiness like the rest of us,
Or are they immune to it?
.
"Raoul thinks he's a demon: the devil himself.
But although he has frightened me before,
How could a demon be so tender at times
And inspire me so?
.
"Oh, how I fear tonight's performance!
The aftermath of it all is breathtaking.
I cannot decide, and I have only an hour to…
Lord, what is my path?
.
"Raoul will be waiting after Faust with the carriage
We are to leave this beautiful city I now call home.
Erik will wait for me in his dining room; I will not come;
He will surely die!
.
"Lord, how I wish I could sing with him once more!
I could show him just how much he means to me.
He has indented my heart; his music—and spirit—will be with me always
Even when he is not."
.
With that, she withdrew herself from the pew and hurried to an awaiting carriage, well aware that her life was about to change forever.