Music At Midnight

His home is beneath the theater stage Disfigured, he remains within his cage Listening to melodies played onstage Fills him with loneliness, not rage Once a fine actor, the Phantom awaits midnight To sing alone, so fear he won’t incite For the “garish light of day” he finds too bright When he hears Christine sing, he bemoans his plight Hours pass until midnight when the theater’s empty And he lays his hands on each piano key Stroking them as he would her face on the marquis But only at midnight is his soul set free What would Christine think if she saw his face He senses the need his feelings to encase As much as he longs for her tender embrace He fears she would just leave him in disgrace Midnight, midnight, he awaits patiently So he can finally perform shamelessly This midnight ritual he enacts faithfully Singing to a woman he’d love undyingly He croons sadly, wishing for her ovation Absorbing the power of each note’s vibration Dreaming one day he’ll submit to temptation And reveal himself to discover her elation * Based on the Broadway play “Phantom of the Opera” and its powerful song, “Music of the Night.” Most plays end just before midnight. “Garish light of day” is a line from the song. * Poem written Jun 6, 2014