The Ballad of Gretchen and Turner
I was once a simple country girl.
I never knew a life of crime.
I just grew up in a clean world of white.
That was true until my high school year when
I met
him.
5
His name was Turner Shaw.
He looked like death in human form.
Warnings signs flashed at me to run from him.
But, I didn’t.
His demonic beauty hypnotized me into
coming
10
Closer to him.
He welcomed me in and converted
Me into his soot-swallowed lifestyle.
Pretty soon, I became like the
Devil’s
daughter.
15
I stopped being a sheep and
Hungered for crime.
Turner happily fed it to me.
We dropped out of school before summer.
From
there,
20
We became the new
Bonnie and Clyde.
We went all over the South
Stealing, drug dealing, assaulting.
It all more than satisfied our
hunger
25
For violence.
I didn’t see right or wrong anymore.
I just wanted to keep my Turner happy.
But, he wanted more.
One night, we broke
into
30
This old couple’s house.
We started with just robbing the place.
But then, I stepped on a loose floor board.
The couple woke up to investigate.
We found ourselves trapped
inside.
35
I turned to my beloved.
“What should we do?” I asked.
“We have no choice,” he said.
I nodded at him.
“Right!” I
replied.
40
We prepared to attack.
The old couple were slaughtered by our
Ash-coated hands.
Blood stained the sand-colored carpet.
For the first time in my
life,
45
I finally grasped the rush of taking
Another life!
Killing was better than drugs, theft, and violence!
Hell it was better than screwing!
I found myself aroused
by
50
The older couple begging for their lives.
Turner and I kissed over their dead bodies.
From then on,
I had to have more.
From June 18th into August
1st,
55
We killed by the masses.
Sometimes, we tortured our victims
Until they died.
I took in the screams and pleading
Word for word and held
them
60
And held them all the way in
The bottom of my gut.
If I could eat them,
I would!
Turner and I loved to play God with our
victims.
65
We were gods.
But then, it all changed from there.
The police always chased us from state to state.
Turner and I played chicken with them at times.
We were careful not to get
caught.
70
But on August 1st,
The game was over.
The police cornered us at the top of
A water tower.
Turner and I were almost out of
weapons.
75
I thought that my boyfriend and I would go to prison.
I wished that things could have been different
When I was still a white sheep.
I slowly shut my eyes,
Wishing that I could
change
80
All of my past actions.
I opened my eyes when Turner
Poked my arm.
He looked me in the eyes.
“Even after everything,
85
you’re the queen and I’m the king.
Nothing else means anything,” he said.
Then, Turner pulled out his knife and
Stabbed me in the chest until I fell back onto
The platform below me.
With my eyes that could no longer see,
Turner put his gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
He collapsed on top of me and died.
Seventeen and dead.
