Panic 2 A.M. Poem by Barry Middleton

when I think of all the stories
I have heard the travelers tell
I know all there is of heaven
I know all I need of hell

but I believe I see the ending
you know a storm is coming soon
that old willow tree is bending
I hear a wildcat's angry howl

elusive sleep is just an eyeball
glowing red into the gloom
hopeless shadows spin a nightmare
softly creeping to my room

after midnight lurks a power
beyond the pale of grace or sin
it's a brooding evil hour
I call it panic 2 A.M.

I am caught up in a cyclone
too much pain and emptiness
my brain is whirling caught in exile
a dark vortex of loneliness

did that hand I held a moment
traveling on the road to glory
ever know I heard their tale
ever hear my own sad story

it is late at night and calling
is the wildcat's lonely growl
night time shadows surely falling
the cat is answered by the owl

after midnight lurks a power
beyond the pale of grace or sin
it's a brooding evil hour
I call it panic 2 A.M.

every man is just an island
whirlpool eddies guard the reef
hungry dragons by the wayside
forked tongues and no relief

I know the hurricane is coming
lizard fire to burn the earth
storm cloud thunder distant drumming
fire and ice and no rebirth

the gyre will churn the muddy water
eye wall screams and anvil sounds
the wild cat cowers in an alley
a rumbling wave throughout the town

after midnight lurks a power
beyond the pale of grace or sin
it's a brooding evil hour
I call it panic 2 A.M.

memories' colors all are fading
wind whipped rags upon a line
hail and lightning now retreating
like the windstorm in my mind

the wildcat's track has all but vanished
the owl is nowhere to be seen
the lizards lick their tongues and wonder
was mankind a futile dream

the stories idiots must tell us
of life's glory and it's pain
recycle with galactic nova
the wanton cities of the plain

after midnight lurks a power
beyond the pale of grace or sin
it's a brooding evil hour
I call it panic 2 A.M.