Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Songs To A Midnight Sky

I named my blog after the following poem I wrote in 2003. I posted it when I started the blog, but it's so far back into the archives now, I thought I'd bring it up to the top again.


Daily, you draw the line
between yesterday and today,

dare me to cross,
dare me to get close.

I stand in the backyard rain,
shirt soaked, jeans sucking
against hungry thighs, hear
you move around in the den,
stereo rising high
over a flash of lightning
to the east.

The Lettermen...

But of course
you would put them on
to taunt me

Defiant, I sing along,
face the night sky,
swallow raindrops, dance,
until I know that yes,
I can survive anything.

Even you.

Later, when I shiver out of wet
into dry, you already sleep,
back walled to my side of the bed,
dreaming your own song alone.

Pris Campbell
©2003

Published in Blackmail Press

12 comments:

Pat Paulk said...

Sounds so sad. Beautifully written!

p.s. you don't need an iron collar. I have a lot of bark, but no bite.

Pris said...

Hi Pat..thanks. And I wasn't afraid of you:-) Your poem brought a chuckle.

J. Andrew Lockhart said...

I'm glad you brought ti back so we could see it -- really nice!

Nick Zegarac said...

Very lonely, hungry and longing piece of exposition. Enjoyed - much!

Pris said...

Thank you both.

ardi k said...

I really like it. The rain washes clean each phase of our seasons.

Pris said...

Yes, it does, doesn't it?

chella said...

really love "songs to a midnight sky." reminds me of myself in my first marriage. on another note, so glad you like "sggw." thanks for the comments. warmly, chella

Pris said...

Hi Chella
I envy people who don't have to go through a marriage so alienated.

And you're welcome. Your chapbook is really great!

Steve Norwich said...

Hi Pris,

I liked this but feel that the most solid aspect of this poem is mitigated by the abstract, "telly" opening lines, which I find a bit weaker...

I stand in the backyard rain,
shirt soaked, jeans sucking
against hungry thighs, hear
you move around in the den,
stereo rising high
over a flash of lightning
to the east.

"jeans sucking against hungry thighs" is pretty damn good. VIsceral.

Anyway just my 0.02

Pris said...

Your two cents is welcome;-) Thanks. I see you're starting a blog. Good luck.

Pris said...

Hi Ellen
Thanks...and yup, this poem was the 'naming of the blog'.