You Can Never Leave

''The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds and he didn't much care for it"
  The Landlady by Roald Dahl.

She’s a lover of animals;
Runs a B&B on the side
She nurtures her pets in life
And then when they’ve died
 
She stuffs them
And mounts them
In places round her home
Looking in through her window
 
Her temple.  Her dome.
The B&B itself does not do
Much trade:
She’s fussy about guests:
 
They have to look right;
She prefers them well- dressed.
Some even think her pets are alive:
When they look and they touch
 
They get quite a surprise!
 
There’s an allure to her home
which some guests
Have observed
And for those granted access
 
Tea and biscuits are served
They then never do leave;
They are compelled to stay.
Their faces light up each morning
With the sun's golden rays.

MDC
 
(This poem is based on “The Landlady” by Roald Dahl; the title is from a line in the Eagles’ song “Hotel California”).