The Raven Redux

I am possessed by the spirit of Poe

He writes the poems I could never write

Like a raven on a dreary midnight

Everywhere I go, he quoth, “Nevermore.”

More than ever there’s a fright

Coming from the man, the man in the mirror

Where I stare, staring back at me

Filling my soul with a fantastic terror

An ancient raven tightly clutches my left shoulder

His razor sharp claws dig deep, cutting far into supple flesh

With aching pain, my body releases a powerful shudder

He whispers quietly in my ear

Suddenly I’m in absolute fear

A facial expression of complete shock and horror

Holding my chest, panting heavily, dropping to my knees

Awestruck, not sure what to do, I want to flee

Breathing hard, running low on air

The chamber room goes cold, growing faint and small

A pounding thud behind my breast bone

The raven tells me to stand straight, mighty and tall.

Without the raven I would be weak, weary and alone

For the Adam of the Fall is me, myself and I

And my beautiful Eve is dying a long, painful death

A gorgeous creature of the night — a terrible night indeed

Poisoned by a drunken shaky hand

A morbid thought born in a wicked, delirious mind

A deranged mad man, he was once me, now long gone

Murderous thoughts drove me over the frightful edge

She was hanging with both hands from a perilous ledge

She grips for dear life, wanting life again, no hope in her eyes

Fainting and fated by the husband she once loved

She was drooling and foaming from her mouth — a gruesome sight

She once trusted me ever so completely

Without question, without a peep

Now — she lets go and the black abyss swallows her whole

Like a deep dark cave, a hole in the ground, opened for her alone.

The raven flies above, watching me far below

Murmuring with a cruck and a croak, calling with a deep snicker

He is watching my every move

A frightful madness ensues

Watching my torturous groove

Sporadic steps and the most horrible gestures

Everywhere I go, I mutter and murmur, “Nevermore.”

A taste of evil stings my tongue and my weathered lips

My brilliant mind left the safety of the harbor long ago

Cast sail on stormy waters in a tattered and battered ship

On open sea, where I tried to flee, I pondered my miserable life

With my hand I laid ink down in a secret manuscript

Hidden from the public’s prying eyes who would tell terrible lies

A treasure lost to the turbulent flow of time, speaking of my crime

I watched the light of the lighthouse in the distance fade away

I jumped overboard into the sea, swam ashore to live another day.

Haunted by what I did, a wretched self I surely am

I stammered and stumbled upon the streets of Baltimore

Going from shop to shop and door to chamber door

I was desolate and desperate as an evil spirit caused me to flee

The spirits I drank were a tempest that tempted me

Pouring themselves down my throat, I pled for a moment to be

To be alone, to rid myself of the raven, which followed me everywhere

The sooty bird would chant his chants and torture me with his sounds

Like a rascal rapping his rap on window sills

Torment my soul only to get a cheap thrill

I felt the dreadful dread from the moment I put pen to paper

Writing the words that would define a legacy

The lore of a mad man who was a wizard with words

People thought I lost my sanity, always hearing the raven’s inner cry

He never left my side, even if I would try to hide, he followed me

Wherever I went I was never alone, there was no more privacy

The raven consumed me with every fiber and feather

Now I go hither, back to the underworld where I belong

“I am Nevermore!”