Morning goes. Noon goes. Evening spreads its spell.
The man in the elevator knows well—
The familiar and the strange
As though beasts in weather change
Cough, giggle, groan, sigh, yawn, sneeze, scream, and yell...
Passengers in tune and tone of their own
Whether one is in a group or alone
The elevator man finds
Simpletons or masterminds
Humans are a universe of their own.
He was fearful that if he fell asleep,
lithium batteries in his cells would leak.
A new prescription his psychiatrist wrote
and that's how he started on Depakote..
His ups and downs were hard to endure.
One day he seized on the kitchen floor.
There wasn't a history of seizures before.
In time he grew so darn depressed that most
mornings he could barely get dressed.
His psychiatrist put him on Vraylar.
Soon he was flying high, like a rock star.
Eventually became delusional and wrecked his car.
The psych. scribbled while drumming one thumb,
and put him back on his Lithium.
People stop blaming "the elevator man."
He's taking his meds. He sticks to the plan.
You told me you couldn't wait to leave
You said you were staying here for work.
Also mentioned you were going on vacation in two weeks.
I asked where you were going
you said anywhere but here.
You told me you can go anywhere for work
I wish I stayed and talked to you longer
I want to know what you do
Where you have gone
Where you want to go.
5 second elevator ride
I debated going up to you when I saw you sitting in the lobby
But i figured you'd want to be alone
so i remained in my chair.
I'll never see you again
Just wish i could know more about you,
Elevator man.
The first floor is plush, velvety thoughts
the mastering of emotions
a handmade boat
with even keel.
The crazies arrive
testing mettle
starting fires
breaking stained glass
of peace and sanity.
When things get overheated
they retreat to the upper floors.
One anarchist steps ahead of the flames.
Where the blue devil awaits.
They've taken the bait.
Flames burning hand from the reins.
A regression of emotions:
Straitjackets and electroshock therapy - the norm.
Where the eyeless elevator man barks:
"Last stop -fourth floor".
He was just an elevator man
If he had a name he never said
Among few words were what floor
Pushing buttons, sliding doors
It wasn't like he wasn't the pleasent type
Everyone enjoyed the ride
Had a way with a smile
Could make a junkyard dog give up his growl
The years all pass in a dying breath
Steals your soul, don't give it back
With the old joke that we all know
Life has its ups and downs he often told
As he started to wear they bought him a chair
Just within reach of the buttons there
Some days though he'd be asleep
Happens more and more quite frequently
That's why no one knew that he'd been dead
A month of Sundays the coriner said
He'd passed away they believe
Somewhere between floor 1 and floor 19
The tenets now help themselves out
Thinking of the one that never said much out loud
Just an elevator man
If he had a name, he never said
Elevator Man
A wrinkled hand
rotates Time's worn handle of half circles
giving arrest to past rides awakened
Up and down
listening
hearing
never forgetting
Watch your step
Ornate iron confinement
charming for youth
insulation for some
sentencing for others
Cables retch echoing secrets within
sliding metal dregs past elevated remembrances
among whispered conspiracies
softly spoken nothings
muffled weeping
all preambles shadowed
in corners of illusive passage
Momentary respite
gradually gives way to silent whimpers of fear
as passengers await floor-stops
fortune
reward
love
penthouse dreams
Elevator man's eyes rise
Arcing brass arrow above
waves Wisdom's index finger
past invisible floor thirteen
allowing today's filigree of delusions to remain patient...
for the moment
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