When Death Comes to Town ~ #OpenLinkNight

You can feel his dark cloak fall
before the bell will toll
You can feel his cutting scythe
as Death begins his stroll

You can smell his rancid breath
Like liquid manure
You can taste his kiss of death
much closer than before

Who knew where Doc Bob met his foe
what road he was travelling down
Who knew when Doc Bob took his stroll
that death had come to town

The flags on limos lining streets
hang limp despite the wind
The Raven sings his crackled call
Signaling the end

Family members line the grave
and kiss the sacred earth
red roses fall upon the box
that will house his soul's rebirth

Who knew why Darla made the call
not having heard a sound
Who knew what told her before us
that death had come to town

She cried real tears or so we thought
His best friend at her side
No one noticed how they embraced
Her husband had just died.

But brother John took in the sights
Knowing all was not real well
He held the secrets in his heart
and swore he'd never tell

Doc Bob had been the better man
Friend Dave could gain no ground
but suddenly he pulled ahead
the day death came to town

In the fancy suburb home
the two would make their nest
becoming all he'd dreamed he be
something closest to the best

With trophy wife and trophy home
Dave knew no friends were needed
He rubbed elbows, drank champagne
while Doc's memory receded

But poor dear Dave had met his match
for karma was no clown
it was only a matter of time
before death came back to town

Darla found him late one day
body limp, no longer breathing
So close to Doc, her heart was broke
no strength for dark and grieving

What took him down no one could say
Brother John just shook his head
he knew before too long the man
was bound to end up dead

Brother John took one red rose
and gently laid it down
Brother John, the one who called
the Reaper back to town.


I'm at it again...prepping early for #OpenLinkNight...well...because it's my turn to host the party! Claudia did an awesome job at clean up after last weeks festivities...but better safe than sorry! (Hard lessons...another story!) SO...as I battle a frantic real world, a tween who is graduating to junior high, and a real estate market in chaos...you can bet I'm looking forward to throwing one heck of a party.  See you at dVerse, Tuesday 3pmEST...I'll be waiting!

Comments

Brian Miller said…
smiles....enchanting story telling lady poet...karma is like that you know...catch you just when life is going good and take your ticket...all in how you got there though...who put the bodies in the wishing well? smiles..
Susie Clevenger said…
"Karma is no clown" that is for sure. This wasn't just a poem, but a story. Grabbed me at the start with "You can feel his dark cloak fall before the bell will toll.
James Rainsford said…
Great narrative poem Natasha. I love these rhyming epics with a real story to tell. Hope the pub brings you joy this evening. Hugs, James.
Anonymous said…
Oh I'm all about the karma, love that karma is no clown. Excellently executed tale as always Tash, almost puts it together in cinematic frames for me. Nice.
Jody said…
hello my friend~ dark lovely throwback of a tale - i like the "on a dark and dusty road in the middle of the night while vultures circle and weird sounds spook walks a troubadour with a small sack of life thrown across his back" style ... do you know what i mean? does this make any sense at all? :)see ya at 3!
Claudia said…
oh my goodness tash....i surely could smell his rancid breath of death here...ha...excellent story telling...and i'm still shivering....looking forward to that openlinknightparty tonight...you gonna rock the place tash
Maude Lynn said…
Great tale, Natasha!
Laura said…
wow, you can spin a yarn!
Timoteo said…
This has an old west kind of feel to it. Nice work, ma'm. (Was gonna say "pardner," just like "dude" is no longer gender specific, but thought better of it!)
Loved this story, Tash... and the stanza placement was divine. Lovely all around!
pam prince said…
Wow - this is quite a way to tell a story - really liked it once I got into the crux of it. Great write.
Great story telling in verse! Reminds me (in spirit and execution) of "Lily, Rosemary and The Jack of Hearts" (from Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks.)

Excellent!
Linda Kruschke said…
Tash, This was a very fun read. I loved your rhyme scheme and the alternating left justification and then centered to the right. I'd say "Poor Dave," but I don't think he deserves the sympathy. Peace, Linda
Laurie Kolp said…
An eerie tragic tale... reminds me of someone I know who did that. I just love karma!
signed...bkm said…
Great tale and love this Brother John character ---it held me from the start...bkm
vivinfrance said…
A brilliant story poem - right up there with Bonnie and Clyde - which could be great set to music.
1emeraldcity said…
Way to tell a story, Tash! Ew....that breath smelling like liquid manure....woah! And karma...yes...what goes around, does indeed come around. Nice work here, poet lady!
ayala said…
"Karma is no clown" indeed...a great write, Natasha.
Uneven Stephen said…
This is great! I can just hear this to some old hardcore country-western strumming. Love the "karma is a clown" line!
Great tale and elegantly told!
henry clemmons said…
Was this based on true news, or a kick the bucket list :) At any rate very engaging and riviting and kept we glued to your page for the next work. Stephen Kingish. I liked.
tinkwelborn said…
cool….ballad-like piece. i can hear this piece put to tune.
this is my kinda poem….a form i'm fond of….hence, I like it a lot.
A witty look at the inevitable, I love the rhythm, in my head I could hear B.B. King wailing this.

BTW, give the dark man my ex-wife's address willya?
Arjan Tupan said…
Wow, super. And as mentioned by some before, 'Karma is no clown'. Brilliant. Much better than Karma is a, well, ehhh, 'female dog'.

Anyway, I really loved the story and rhythm of this. It really sounded like a song in my head. Someone should put this to music. Will be a classic.
LilGypsyLaLa said…
beautifully written...always so nice to read your work in any genre!
poemblaze said…
Very vivid. Had difficulty getting past liquid manure. Very visual here. LOL.
Anonymous said…
Fantastic storytelling - love the parallel streams - cinematic images - love it Tash
Anonymous said…
Great work with structure here, works so well.

Really dig the title as well. Wonderfully Western and Clint Eastwood -y.
Victoria said…
A great story, wonderful rhyme and flow. This is so good.
theborgpoet said…
I agree with James, a wonderful narrative..
Scarlet said…
The karma angle was a good one. Enjoyed the deathly invitation post Tash ~

Happy Tuesday ~
mrs mediocrity said…
ooooh, this is good, and it felt so real... fabulous imagery and the rhythm is wonderful. don't mess with karma.
Semaphore said…
Whoa, where did you get the inspiration for this one? While very contemporary, it has the feel both of a Medieval chant and an Old West ballad. Good narrative momentum.
DQPoetry said…
Wow Natasha, you've outdone yourself there, a great intro to the #openlinkNight on the dVerse site then a great poem

as some of the comments say, very emotional and really has a Western sense feel

I enjoyed reading it as always, and thanks for fostering this great community, I love the weekly catchups!
Unknown said…
Awesome piece Tash. I love the macabre atmosphere painted here. Great story. Reminded me of Poe to some extent, and theirs a subtle yet distinct musicality to the piece, which I wish we could have heard Johnny Cash sing this baby. I love the Doctor/Friend etc.. When I write my screenplays, I typically come up with titles before the characters and then pull the titles out later, keeping them just long enough until i get to know them better. Love how you used titling here. Great write. Loved it. Thanks
sharonlee said…
Brilliant tragicomedy with a great moral. Epic.

Hi, I'm Sharonlee, new to the d'verse circle.... I think I posted the wrong link.

http://seasonsandreasons.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/earth-connections.html
hyperCRYPTICal said…
Oh this is good Natasha, very good.

Can imagine that Johny Cash would have loved this.

Anna :o]
Ginny Brannan said…
Natasha, what a great little tale you've spun, full of mystery and dark intrigue. Boy, that Karma's a bitch, isn't it?!! This has a great lyrical feel. Someone with musical talents should pick up on this one! Nicely penned!
Anonymous said…
that's one thing one would not like to mess with and that's karma.
Pat Hatt said…
What goes around does indeed come around and of course mostly deserving is found.

Psst check your msn email too, as Pat sent something to you.
Lance said…
beautiful weaving of words around a deep tale of what goes around comes around.

I loved it. The last 4 stanzas build and build. wonderful, tasha
rosemary mint said…
Ooh, that ending was awesome, Natasha! Great storytelling! Loved every word, but this section was my favorite:

"The flags on limos lining streets
hang limp despite the wind
The Raven sings his crackled call
Signaling the end

Family members line the grave
and kiss the sacred earth
red roses fall upon the box
that will house his soul's rebirth"
rosemary mint said…
Oh yeah, love this too:

"But poor dear Dave had met his match
for karma was no clown"
Ooooh, Natasha, not only hosting but delivering the "silver hammer" on that naughty man! Dark, and the offset stanzas of death coming to town, sort of brought Poe to mind, but also those old tunes, the ballads of ne'er do wells... great stuff! Amy and here's my dverse:
http://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/05/28/military-schooling-the-sunday-whirl/
Chris Lawrence said…
Rich and fulfilling great story so well woven
Luke Prater said…
great formatting here and effective narrative piece
Anonymous said…
clearly divinely talented. I look forward to reading more poems penned by you. I hope you enjoy mine on voiceoftruelove.wordpress.com

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