Poetry - October 2024

Octavarium

When you listen to a song
That is twenty four minutes long
You would expect it to be progressive
And certainly should sound impressive
But it is also full of emotion
Which really gives it some devotion
As the five parts seem so endless
And your listening pleasure is boundless
The instruments kick in to start
With a beatiful opening soft melodic part
Before you ask to medicate me
As part two breezes by so easily
With the finding of going full circle
In part three with metal so plentiful
Spoken voices describing part four
Intervals until you can't take any more
Trapped inside this octavarium you scream
As the crescendo just builds that esteem
Before the strings kick in for the final part
That just tears those strings at your heart
On the razor's edge to end it all
With a beautiful closing single note to enthrall
It is without doubt an epic song of note
That just means all the time you need to devote.

(To this day the title track of Dream Theater's 2005 Octavarium album is still my favourite song of theirs - and having them play that live at the O2 when I saw them - it was emotional, it really was.)

The Brighton Party Train

Heading home from Brighton
Late on a Saturday night
We had been to an excellent gig
And that was a real delight
We headed up the hill to the station
The cancellation of a previous train
Meant that we didn't want to wait outside
As it was looking like rain
So we found a pub to have a drink
And rest well before the train later
Which was the final train out of Brighton
And that proved to be a real eye opener
Clearly those on a night out were drunk
But wanted to stagger onwards home
Having arguments with their friends
Whichever carriage they may roam
Someone was looking worse for wear
And wanted to throw up and be sick
They managed to last til Burgess HIll
And got off the train still feeling the ick
Gradually things started to calm down
As the train got to Haywards Heath
It was clear people didn't need a taxi
With this service to carry them underneath.

(It was definitely an experience getting the 0002 train from Brighton home one Saturday evening after a gig for sure..)

Three In The Morning Feeling

Can't sleep, I've woken up now
And it's three in the morning
The sky is darkened
With just the moon for brightness
The pillows and duvet seem too warm
I feel too awake to be lethargic
And just coax myself back in to sleep
And as try as I might, I can't
I hear the odd rush of traffic
Go past down the main road
The rush makes a gentle noise
Enough to keep me awake for now
In the distance I can hear
An alarm sounding for all it's worth
It's obviously a wake-up call
To those who have to work their shifts
But I'm not on a shift pattern
I'm not even making love
I'm just restless and awake alone
And feeling rather numb.

(I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep, I'm sure some of you relate to this...)

Éze

High on a hillside way up above the sea
Lies a medieval village visited by you and me
With its narrow streets and turns every corner
The village of Éze has such natural beauty
You walk around the streets heading uphill
Until you reach the exotic gardens, to go
High as you can towards the summit peak
And see the views over the bays with so much to show
You feel special in this corner of France
As the corniche unravels in the hills below
With the exclusive hotel rooms carved into the cliffs
You have a feeling it's where the rich go
Looking back up from the path of Nietzsche
As you head down towards the blue sea
It shows all its magic as you look towards the summit
And Éze was definitely that for me.

(If you ever get chance, go to Éze. You won't regret it one bit.)

Halloween Cat Haiku

Brian sees the black
He feels much safer inside
Away from the dark.

(Brian the cat isn't a big fan of Halloween, primarily as he is not a black cat.)