East of Eden and
The Tingler.
The lady killer and
Julius Caesar.
A star is born and
Vertigo.
The Killing and
Ace in the hole.
Godzilla and
The night and fog.
Johnny Guitar and
Hound Dog.
Wild strawberries
And Stalag 17.
High noon and
The African queen.
Ray Charles and
Kiss me deadly.
The big sky and
The voyage to Italy.
Dean Martin and
Buddy Holly.
Casper and
Mr. Peabody.
House of Wax and
Elevator to the Gallows.
Elvis and
Tears on my pillow.
Asphalt jungle and
In a lonely place.
The big heat and
Chantilly lace.
Hank Williams and
Chuck Berry.
Sunset BLVD and
Tom and Jerry.
Turbo1904?
When I was thirteen we watched Friday night fright night
scared to death, to the edge of our seat, screaming in terror
it was the best night of the week, my cousins and I thought
someone usually spent the night at our house to be terrified by it
the scariest movie I ever saw was The Tingler
starring Vincent Price, an obsessed doctor
the tingler was a terrifying parasitic creature
developed out of spinal cords of frightened people
if they screamed, the tingler could be destroyed
a deaf mute who could not scream died from The Tingler
We screamed and screamed at the bathroom scene
until our mom told us to stop it, because it was annoying Dad.
I can hardly even imagine seeing it in a theater for the first time
because the tingler escaped and ran amok in a movie theater
I imagine the theater goers were screaming their heads off too
there is no one scarier than Vincent Price, tingler or no tingler
It lingers, magic fingers
of the rich and greedy tingler,
just when you hoped 2020 was over
the itchy touch returns over and over;
a sore throat, a loud voice in exasperated attempts to vent
just when you thought we found success it is spent;
the loud emboldened demands recur again and again
America continues to burn, and covid intensifies now and then ;
if only the bully and the fight endowed
focused on the citizens cold night shrouds,
mankind just wants to live and retain
the sanity we have yet to regain.
What difference to me
Is the source of the pain,
From an ancient salt ocean
Or a pool of spring rain.
The clever deceptions
Of color, grace and form
Veil the singular predations
Of a savage, feeding swarm.
From deadly microbe
To frenzied piranha,
Shocking my tingler to
The Great White Flick O' Rama.
The water of life shall be
The death of me this year.
Coincidentally, it is ice that soothes
My puffy, red jellyfish tears.