My Day With Elijah Strange (An Original Poem)

We first met when I was going through the trash on my street.
He said I know who you are my son, I think we were destined to meet.
I tried to change the subject, asked him how this chair would look in my apartment
He replied son I don’t know where you live, besides that’s not my department
Come on there’s a place you should see
It’ll be anything that you need it to be
It’ll put you in chains and it will also set you free

Down the dirty cobbled streets I followed like he was the pied piper of my existence
Five alarms were going off in my head but they just muted my resistance
We came to a rusty old door on a ramshackle old building
It creaked and groaned when it opened like a glacier groans when it’s shifting
Down a hallway into a dimly lit room
To meet my nirvana or maybe even my doom
I’m not sure which one, I can’t tell because it’s too soon

And that’s when my thoughts became
Somewhat foggy and somewhat deranged
That’s what happens when you spend the day
Hanging out with Elijah Strange

I sat down at a table, surrounded by a whimsical crew
They offered me a drink and I said, Yes I don’t mind if I do
They motioned to the barmaid she had on a tank top with candy cane stripes
She brought my favourite drink, Irish whiskey without any ice
I had to ask her how did she know
She smiled and said honey I just go with the flow
And besides, she winked, it’s probably best that you don’t know

The man to my left said hey buddy do you know where Greece is?
I said yes but don’t you know you’re playing Risk with Monopoly pieces?
He said it don’t matter none, ’cause the rules are all the same
You have to try to conquer life, but the Universe just fixes the game
Then the man with the top hat got quiet
And the man with the thimble shouted let’s start a riot
And the lady with the wheelbarrow said don’t try to deny it

I wondered what I was trying to deny
As I watched news reports of the world’s demise
This is just part of the price I will pay
For become friends with Elijah Strange

The next thing I knew I was standing somewhere that was unfamiliar
My hands were tied together and I was leaning up against a pillar
The starter’s pistol cracked and I just started running
I was in a race I hadn’t entered but now I found myself winning
My legs were feeling weak and I was starting to lose my nerve
I had to call on all the energy that I held in reserve
I won but there’s no honour in claiming a prize that I don’t deserve

The Master of Ceremonies called me up to the stage
His face it was contorted, he was a twisted mass of rage
He shouted out “Young man, you’d best make peace with your God”
“Because I know you’re a charlatan, I know that you’re a fraud!”
I turned around and ran from whence I came
Every street and every building looked exactly the same
Dragging one leg behind me ‘cause it was suddenly quite lame

I wondered how I got into this mess
I have a good idea, but I digress
You just have to accept what is destined to change
When you spend the day with Elijah Strange

I sat on the curbside trying to catch my breath
A shadow suddenly loomed over me, dark like a shroud of death
He said you know that you’ll go blind if you look directly into the sun
But don’t be so delusional to think that you’re the only one
The genius and the fool and the beauty queen
In one way or another all go through the same thing
That’s what you get for being born a human being

So I picked up my hat, the hat I didn’t know I was wearing
As I walked along the street I noticed that everyone was staring
I wondered what the attraction was, what could it be
You are just one of us common folk, a woman said to me
I didn’t know if I should be disappointed
Was this a curse or was I being anointed
There’s not a straight man in the world, we’re all disjointed

Oh the sun was setting in a hurry
But that was the least of my worries
Something funny was happening in my brain
Because of my day with Elijah Strange

I hurried under a street light, then two three and four
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and I was somewhere I had been before
At the end of my driveway where this whole adventure started
Where I met Elijah Strange, who now apparently has departed
But I likely shouldn’t speak so fast
For what is here now is still there in the past
Lurking silent to mock and compare and contrast

It was too far out there to be merely a figment of my imagination
It’s strikes me as a stark warning of my impending disintegration
The characters and places and the things I had done
Were warnings not to write off or marginalize anyone
The man talking to himself while staring at his shoes
May be wiser and warmer and smarter than you
We spend too much time looking inward, we must project outward too

Well I made it through the day intact
Stronger than ever as a matter of fact
It’s so freeing to admit fault for a change
When you spend every day with Elijah Strange

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I am Scott. I love writing poetry and song lyrics and one day I hope to turn my lyrics into music. Please upvote and follow. I always follow back. :)

Thanks to Pixabay for the images.

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