Moving On by Blue October

 

Every Night At Five Till Midnight Pt 1

   

   

soundtrack

                                                                                                                                                   

               

 Every Night At Five Till Midnight

Pt. 1

Every night 
At precisely seven until midnight,
He stands in the garden room
Surrounded by green living things
And beautiful flowers tended with love
Orchids, roses, peonies, tiger lillies
All her favorites, naturally
Though she is the fairest flower of all
In his eyes and in his heart
He takes out a silver pocket watch
And checks the time
Runs his hand over the photograph
Ensconced in the lid and smiles.

At precisely 

Five minutes till midnight,

He climbs the curved staircase

And stands on the top step 

Staring at her bedroom door

That is bathed in moonlight

And long-ago memories that always feel recent

And he waits like a schoolboy

Awaiting his first taste of a woman's mouth

The anticipation is exquisite and glorious,

And at the same time, terrifying beyond words

But the brandy influenced bravery

Makes him wait, albeit with shaking hands.

Three years earlier,

She stood on the stairs

Waiting for him

There was no moonlight shining that night

But a strange wind violently blew the sheer curtains

Hanging on the open windows

And filled the air with silver strands of webs

Long ago abandoned by the ghosts of spiders

As the dark skies filled with storm clouds

That threatened to pour down

Like the tears in her eyes

And as they began to fall

She caught them in her open empty hands.

All night, she had waited there

Standing like a doll in her white silk negligee

A doll that could not walk or talk

But nevertheless possessed a human heart

That could be broken and was breaking now

He had called to say he'd be home late

And not to wait up

That he was busy at work and that he loved her

In a breathless, hurried voice

And had hung up before she could find her voice

She thought of the wonderful anniversary dinner

She had made especially for him

And the candles burning and the champagne on ice.

From her viewpoint

She could see the long driveway and the gate

Where she hoped he'd be pulling up to any minute

As he remembered it was their seventh anniversary

And made excuses at work

And made haste to hurry home 

With some convenience store cards and roses

And would throw his arms around her

With that sheepish look of his

As he promised to make it up to her

With a trip to Aruba or some exotic locale

And she would sigh and nod

And welcome him into her forgiving arms.

An hour later, 

She put the special dinner into a warming oven

And blew out the melted candles

And opened the bottle of his favorite champagne

And drank three glasses

One right after another

As she sat at the top of the stairs

Watching for the gate to open

And his sleek new car to appear on the driveway

She was disappointed in the ruined dinner

But she would get over it, she told herself

How could she not forgive the man

With his sheepish, adorable face?

And then the phone rang

And tipsy, she tripped over the hem of her gown

As she ran to pick it up in the bedroom

Breathless, she giggled and murmured 'hello'

In her sexiest voice

Anticipating all manner of ridiculous excuses

But just so happy to hear his voice

And glad the waiting was over

But it was not his voice she heard

But a female voice she did not recognize

A female voice asking for her husband

And complaining that she was tired of waiting

And would lock him out if he didn't call her soon.

She held the phone, trying to comprehend,

Her heart pounding like a drum

There then followed the customary

 Shocked exchange of questions:

"Who is this?" "Who are you?!"

"Why are you calling my home?"

"I'm calling to speak to my fiance.'"

"Well, since you're speaking to his wife,

I find that hard to believe."

"He told me he had never been married!"

"Seven years today!"

"You're lying. I don't believe you!"

And then, "Oh, never mind! He just walked in!"

The rest of the night

Passed in a blur of disbelieving tears 

And two empty bottles

Of his favorite champagne

She threw his dinner in the trash

Without eating a bite of it,

Tore the romantic anniversary cards in half,

Smashed the expensive and the funny gifts

She had bought for him with a hammer,

And pulled the CDs of their favorite songs

Out of the stereo and threw them like Frisbees

Against the stone fireplace

Never wanting to hear those songs again.

At some point, 

She started having second thoughts

Thinking it may have all been a cruel hoax

Or some prank pulled by a jealous woman

Who had a crush on her handsome, sexy husband

Who knows? She shrugged. It had happened before

And he had laughed it off and told her his usual stories

About how there were evil people out there 

That wanted what they had and wanted to ruin things

For those that were happy and in love

And convinced her she was making a big deal out of nothing

Didn't he love her more than life itself?

Of course he did.

"I'm being silly."

 She laughed, regretting her destructive tirade

"I'll call that liar back and give her a piece of my mind!"

She found the last call number on her phone

And pressed the button joyfully, 

Trying to think up something nasty to say that would sting

The phone was picked up

Then silence

Then her husband's voice came on the line

Her husband's voice

Her seventh Anniversary husband's voice

While a feminine voice giggled in the background

And entreated him to come back to bed.

The whole world spun round

Then crashed and burned

As her heart exploded in her chest

Like a burst balloon

She dropped the phone 

And watched it bounce all the way down the stairs

To hit the landing wall and smash and shatter

Even as her husband's voice kept asking

"Hello! Hello! Who is this?"

She collapsed in a heap of white silk

And Alfred Sung perfume

Her long black hair covering her tear-stained face

Like a shroud covering the death of a dream.

©By Voo
June 28, 2019

To Be Continued in Pt. 2.................................

maybe.....

I'll Come In Storm Clouds

I'll Come In Storm Clouds

Hear the rain

Fall on the glass

Small wet drops

Now coming fast.

Hear the thunder

How it roars

Let’s run to bed now

And bolt the doors.

Hear the lightning

See it strike

It’s going to be

An electric night.

Light the candles

Pour the wine

The night is yours

And you are mine.

Read me poetry

You wrote for me

Look through my eyes

See what I see.

I’ll kiss the words

Right off your mouth

Unleash the passion

And pour it out.

Your hands are velvet

Your hands are steel

I’ve much to teach them

About how to feel.

I’ll dance for you

In candle glow

And show you things

That you don’t know.

For rain awakes me

And thunder calls

But lightning evokes me

Most of all.

For I am thunder

And I am rain

And I come as lightning

To strike again.

This breath I breathe

I breathe for you

This feast in my eyes

Is prepared for you.

Come, let us taste

Come, let us dine

On rain and thunder

And love and wine.

My heart is hungry

My need is great

Love, be my banquet

I cannot wait.

The night is passing

Tomorrow dawns

But rush of passion

Goes on and on.

I cannot stop now

Till this storm has quit

It drives me onward

With each lightning hit.

And you, my wildness

And you, my joy

Inspire my wiles to

Further employ.

Till daylight breaks

And night has fled

And we lie happy

In this rumpled bed.

The candles burned down

To melted pools

The wine drops warming

In glass still cool.

I kiss your face

You touch my hair

And all the fires

Still smolder there.

Let’s sleep awhile

Let’s dream and then

Wait for the storm

To stir up again.

You’ll be my desert

Thirsty anew

And I’ll come in storm clouds

And rain on you.

 
Play both videos at same time
for best effect!

©by Voo

March 13, 2010

THE LOST MAN'S JOURNEY POEM W/VIDEO OF IT BEING READ BY THE HUMAN VOICE

The Lost Man's Journey  by Voo

my poem as  dramatically  read by my friend, Mark Anthony Games  aka The Human Voice  from across the pond
close your eyes and let him take you to another time and place.
This one has an almost Lord of the Rings feel to it........

The Lost Man’s Journey

We were dreaming on tired feet

Running through thick gray clouds of ancient fog

Emerging from nightmare

And tasting of wine gone sour

My brother and I.

(Looking for you)

(Journeys are like lives

They never seem to end

And then they come to sudden halt

Whether fulfilled or left without harbor

Lost on the pathways and looking for light.)

Over mountain and stream

And valleys of mysteries

We stumbled without word

Or thought for the dawn

Of any cold sun that would rise without you.

(As we searched the world for your face)

How long we searched,

I do not know

I do not remember the nights

Lying in darkness with tears in my eyes

I do not remember because I do not dare.

You were there in the mist

Ethereal and ghostly, beckoning me

As you always have, with your angel’s smile

And a heart full of promise

That no man can read.

(You, with the water that quenches my thirst)

I barely remember the days

Dry, hot, cold, endless

Sunrise, sunset, twilight and morning

My brother scowling, as he scanned the horizon

Looking for reasons to keep moving forward.

We killed the men there on the road

Men who said they knew you

Men who smiled their last sad smiles

As they talked about your kiss

We killed them and we left them where they lay.

(Lives undone by the softness of your touch)

My hands were wearied of the sword

Wearied of the bow

Wearied of the dusty feet I walked on

And fearful of the journey’s end

Whatever that might be.

My brother sang

When he thought I was asleep

In the darkness of midnight

‘Neath the canopy of trees

He did not know I listened with heavy heart.

(A heart that holds no one but you)

In emerald forests, we found our food

Creatures, wild and wandering from home

They, and we, meeting on deadly grounds

That lead to extinction

And gave us strength for another day.

In strange noon darkness, we found the place of Shadows

That linger in the shades of time

Haunted things that had no recognition

That we were men,

But only other Shadows to be passed.

(Sometimes we wondered if you had crossed their paths)

Feminine forms, oft caught our eyes

From time to time

But only for a moment,

For we had no time to waste on borrowed lips

Even when they smiled with taste of honey.

Even when they reminded us of faded days,

Of home with evening fire and smell of bread,

Soft pillows and warm blankets

And nights beneath the stars

In arms of love.

(Those arms I needed to welcome me again)

My brother is a hard, hard man

At least to me

Older, wiser, with quiet eyes and quieter mouth

He did not share his thoughts

Nor complain about the journey.

The plan was made, the quest was given

And off we set,

Looking for the wayward woman

Who chose to run

Who brought dishonor upon our family name.

(Who took my heart and carried it as she ran)

Through thunderstorm we walked in rain,

Sunlit days as gold as glory,

The nights as black as windows down in hell

Trudging onward toward the great unknown

(And fighting sick despair within our souls)

We came upon a village fair

Children running, and sounds of laughter

Out of the fog, houses appeared

Tall sunflowers and barking dogs

Smells of cooking and sparkling skies.

(And there, upon the wind, we smelled your fragrance)

My heart, a racing, foolish thing

That leapt in hope

I searched the way for sight of you

Even as the bitter fury filled my face.

My brother’s eyes, unreadable and hooded

Looked back at me,

Nodded once, and hurried through the morning,

Through the trees, with dagger in his hand.

(Toward the sound of laughter that would fade away like dreams)

My courage failing,

Hesitation slowed me

Each step a hundred thousand deaths

Each heart beat, forty more

I walked as though a dead man, there in my brother’s dust.

What I would find, I did not know

What I would do, did not foresee

For I had not thought farther than

Your face, my only treasure

Shining once again upon the world.

(The treasure you had taken back as you forsook your vow to me)

A man lies dying by a garden gate

His blood, a crimson pool, mixed with regret

His mouth is opened, stunned, in disbelief

His hand is empty, reaching out

For a hand he thought was his.

How many men have reached for you, I wonder

How many dead and dying, for the wanting of your love?

I cannot think of that, now that you are near me

A wounded animal, I crash the door

With a raging, mad desire.

(And the dreams of all the old days coming back to life)

Your sweet voice beguiling

And pleading for mercy,

Your eyes catch my own as I stop, as in trance

Over his shoulder as his arms gather round you

My brother, your husband, with his arms hard as steel.

The journey ends

Without succor and no harbor

Finding you, I am tethered now to shadows

Like the Lost Ones encountered

On the road to your door.

(And all I can think of is your mouth upon mine)

Kissing your face, my brother smiles,

Perhaps for the first time in memory

“Never leave me.” he says in your ear

As you tear your eyes from me

Laugh, and shake back your hair.

“Never again.” I hear you whisper

Promising a wild heart that belongs to no man

I cannot look away, I cannot breathe,

Your eyes hold me tight as he gathers you tighter

Your lips, sweet as wine, tease with a smile like the sun.

(As I wonder how I ever thought him wise)

And I still believe that there’s a way

Beyond the mists, beyond the dust of yesterday

For me and you, my brother’s wife, locked in his arms

Until the dagger finds it’s mark

And the sun goes dark forever.

Returning home, I do not dream, I do not sleep, I do not speak

No wine can ease my pain or mend my soul

I eat no food nor does my brother offer it

And when we reach the place of Shadows,

He does not notice when I fall behind.

(No longer a man, perhaps I’ll find you there.)

©by Voo

June 1, 2010

2:30 a.m.