The Unwanted Guest

The Unwanted Guest By Kevin Robey March 24, 2013 He was there, that much was obvious to all But he was unseen, as blank as the white wall An unwanted guest, like the rodents that stayed In the floor boards below, they could show him the way Long ago he was an honored guest, greeted with fanfare Now the subject of hushed whispers and lingering stares He held his glass of red wine that had been left unfilled His vice grip too tight, the glass was shattered and killed He could not recall how long he had been here Maybe a minute, an hour, a day, or even a year This party it seemed was his eternal damnation And so close he was to finding his true salvation He wanted to make a move, and find the open door But he forgot the way out, or the man he was before Looking down at his hands, he read between the lines Telling him where his broken mind and heart aligned He looked across the room to the friends he once knew Their blank eyes and stitched on smiles, his despair grew These weren’t the warm bodied people he used to know Seems all these years, they wore plastic faces for show As the sea of lying faces faded into the foggy background The sobering truth, his life passed him by without a sound The wrinkles on his face increased by the pain he embraced How could this be, a boy once so bright now old and disgraced Held his hands to his face, protection from the impending dark It’s time to say goodbye, the flame is gone, and so has the spark He stands in the room now alone; the party has finally come to a close His face once vibrant and full of life, now crumbling like a dying rose He falls piece to piece to the cracked and worn marble floor Black and white like his life was played on a giant chess board But his queen had long since departed, and he was defeated The army of darkness closed in, his final act was completed