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How dost night protest thee?
Her moonbeam chisled face fallen at your door,
and gravelly steps of strangers near
bringing thoughts of heart stopping fear…
Tick tock, tick tock, friendly eve,
Insanity for innocence deadly grieve
against the blackest grain of night.
A shoulder’s invisible touch –
and other things such –
as find you near quarter of three.
Whispering voices down the hall –
whenst look tis nothing at all…
The devil’s hour comes…
and mind’s eye wide sublime
find crickets, ghosts and broken time.
With blankets held to chin
and walls breathing in –
you finally accept and show with a grin!
for tis not some robber, or menace of sort…
but only death come to court….
Silly old Death…..
So much starker, and darker
then is brother Birth…
and so, my life on Earth….
Good night…..
.
.
© 2013 John Richter
johnallenrichter 
June 21st, 2013 at 4:50 am
This poem has a sooting rhythm which plays nicely with the fear! But in the end, Death is better than the devil! I like “brother Birth”… its a bit comforting. 🙂 Excellent write.
June 21st, 2013 at 8:39 pm
Poor old death he has such a bad press, as you may or may not know I have written about his caring softer side….ssh! don’t tell him!! xxxxxx
August 27th, 2013 at 8:13 pm
I can’t tell you how effective (and a bit creepy) it was to listen to you read this. For me, I felt like I was communing with Edgar Allen Poe. So well written and performed, John.
August 28th, 2013 at 2:33 pm
Hi Victoria, and thank you one and all for visiting my humble den…. Aspiring to “creepy” is something I have actually not considered, yet I suppose it could be a badge of great honor! Especially when being compared to the “Master of Maccabe,” Mr. Edgar Allan Poe… I had a chance recently to visit his grave in Baltimore and would recommend that to all…. Occasionally I find it fun to write about things on the darker side, though I like to keep them light and airy – and presentation is a lot of the fun also… Generally I follow the cues from some of my own heroes, like Vincent Price and Alice Cooper… Dark poetry is kind of like a haunted house, I should think, as the visitor knows going in that it is only a man-made production of darkness…. and not any sort of true evil itself (if that even exists.) I only know that birth and death exist, and inbetween we are asked to pay a lot of taxes. The visitor is free to assign any measure of lightness or darkness to those three certainties he or she wishes…. 🙂 But these types of poetry are certainly fun to write and read and I’m glad that you enjoyed this one as well as I did!
August 27th, 2013 at 8:17 pm
well that is rather haunting….first to hear the voices down the hall…night will def play tricks on you….but then to bid good night to your life as well…th more classical language in this one works john….
August 27th, 2013 at 9:09 pm
Powerful writing, John. I agree 100% that Death is so much starker and darker than his brother Birth. And Death eventually comes to call on us all…..
August 27th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
love love love the way this is written!
August 28th, 2013 at 1:33 am
Hey John. I am on an iPhone so cannot listen but this has a strong Poe feel– menacing but with a hint of comedy too. Very charming. Thanks for the shiver and smile. K.
August 28th, 2013 at 2:53 am
“moonbeam chiseled face” – wonderful line. Great poem!
August 28th, 2013 at 5:28 am
this had a kind of classic feel to it. I enjoyed this 🙂
August 28th, 2013 at 5:58 am
The night with its ghost and goblins come calling as I often feel that sort of fear stemming from a horrid youth so I found myself deeply embedded emotionally in your words..the ending however satirically awakened me..interesting twist at the end. excellent write
August 28th, 2013 at 3:26 pm
I love the cadences and power of this poem. Well read too.
August 28th, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Rhyme is tricky, but you execute it very well.
Best,
Ana
August 28th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Delicious diction and a good bit of dark fun (especially your reading). The rhythm is particularly strong, Poe would approve :).
August 28th, 2013 at 7:18 pm
Haunting and intense, a great write.
August 28th, 2013 at 11:40 pm
John, Poe to a “t”, well executed fellow poet. I felt like I was there watching the scene.
Pamela
August 29th, 2013 at 9:11 am
It’s fun listening to you read.Creepy aura to the words, but then welcoming death with such calm.
August 30th, 2013 at 3:30 am
[…] most recent poem I posted here included a line from Alice Cooper. Fellow poet blogger John Allen Richter suggested I listen to more Alice Cooper, or some Jimi Hendrix. I’m taking him up on that and […]
August 30th, 2013 at 4:50 pm
Macabre in make-up and hauntingly smooth with the rhythm.. Nice to hear you read, John!
Hank
September 1st, 2013 at 4:53 am
that was a nice, refreshing chill you gave me here. i think i like — though not too much — silly old death. i hope that’s how it is, so that maybe all darkness is man made.