The Passing Of Eli Mackay

It all seemed so easy, the first time they met He called himself Eli Mackay A Scot with an accent that's pure Somerset His opening attempt at a lie She wrote many letters, convinced herself Trees were dying in a wonderful cause The man had an aura that placed him with ease Between Jesus and Santa Claus The blossoms of summer seemed light on the breeze Whilst Eli was notably shrewd He offered, one time when he sensed her unease A something to lighten her mood And slowly but surely, the atmosphere changed The weather vane started to shift She came to believe she was truly deranged And that's when he cut her adrift He'd said, in exchange for a reasonable stance Of course, he would do her a deal The choice, in effect, was, agree in advance Or be tied to a Catherine Wheel You be a nice girl and be good to those guys He snorted his line of cocaine Now take it, or leave it and lose your supplies I won't make the offer again It thundered and lightened that night as he fell In rage, with a merciless cry She gave him his answer, and truth be to tell He'd picked his own moment to die The way she remembered, when nothing was left A pearl-handled pistol appeared Though some sent condolences, few were bereft It ended how everyone feared The judge kept his cards very close to his chest He'd come across Eli before The person who'd found herself under arrest Was surely a prisoner of war He'd fixed on the photograph set in the frame And so much had welled up inside The face was the same, but that wasn't his name The day that his daughter had died So the judge took a view, and quite rightly it seems This case must be handled with care She'd told how the nightmares and devilish dreams Had driven her to depths of despair He closed his eyes slowly, he let out a sigh And told her, "I think you will find When it comes to the passing of Eli Mackay That justice is seen to be blind"