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A Perfect Gentleman
It wasn't anything I thought would be
The first time that we met
When Spring caressed the blooms & budding tree,
When I felt so alive, and yet
The way it was as he came down the street,
I held my beating breath,
The jacaranda petals 'neath my feet
Foretold a distant time, of death.
'Twas when he stepped before me, it was plain.
He took me by surprise,
But not just with a waist coat, gloves & cane;
Was that a smile behind those eyes?
A subtle manner equal to its bliss
That took my hand in flight.
His lips, to bow, to meet it with a kiss
And sudden brought the callous night.
Who's whispers of his voice became a roar
Within my startled head,
That dominated ev'rywhere it tore;
'Twas like the devil, from the dead.
And deepest depths he took me 'low my will,
To breach my ev'ry ban
That woke me where I endless slept, and still
He was a perfect gentleman.
Published 12th Apr 2017
| Edited 2nd Oct 2020
Author's Note
•Syllable line count per stanza: 10/6/10/8
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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12th Apr 2017 2:09pm
12th Apr 2017 2:51pm
12th Apr 2017 4:09pm
The way it was as he came down the street,
I held my beating breath,
The jacaranda petals 'neath my feet
Foretold a distant time, of death.
I love the foreshadowing that begins with the "and yet" which ends the first stanza. I love the way the poem is filled with menace covered in glorious robes. It brought to mind a scene form David Lynch's "Blue Velvet": the Kyle MacLachlan character is at a picnic lying on a beautifully sculpted lawn and Lynch moves through a close up all the way to the bugs swarming and eating the roots of the grass. Your beautiful overlay of that menace gave me the same feeling.
Great writing and juxtapositioning...
love it!
tommy
I held my beating breath,
The jacaranda petals 'neath my feet
Foretold a distant time, of death.
I love the foreshadowing that begins with the "and yet" which ends the first stanza. I love the way the poem is filled with menace covered in glorious robes. It brought to mind a scene form David Lynch's "Blue Velvet": the Kyle MacLachlan character is at a picnic lying on a beautifully sculpted lawn and Lynch moves through a close up all the way to the bugs swarming and eating the roots of the grass. Your beautiful overlay of that menace gave me the same feeling.
Great writing and juxtapositioning...
love it!
tommy
13th Apr 2017 2:20am
Oh dear, I'll need to give you a proper response to this later when I can collect myself... because we got to say so much on the phone, so you know how I responded, but I'll honor that here when I can be cohesive. And thank you! -queenie
