Poem of the Day: "Midnight" by Ross Balcom

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present "Midnight" by Ross Balcom as the Poem of the Day for December 6, 2014.  Mr. Balcom has been a frequent contributor to the Songs of Eretz Poetry E-zine where a brief bio may be found http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/p/e-zine_3.html.

Midnight

Ross Balcom

I pledged my heart

to midnight,

and I tossed it

at the feet of Poe.

"Feed it to the Raven,"

I told him darkly.

But it returned to me,

uneaten, and I followed

it into the sephulchre,

my family's own.

There, a pale child stirred

and cried, "Mommy...."

Midnight poured into

my soul, and I woke, sobbing,

knowing my mother

had forgotten my name.

Poet's Notes:  I wrote this poem late at night, and it unfolded like a dream to the disturbing conclusion.  Memory and memory loss have long fascinated me. Our identities and relationships are anchored by memories, and radical memory loss can be humanly devastating. This poem conveys the emotional toll of such loss.  I love the work of Edgar Allan Poe and I am glad that he and his "Raven" found a place in my "Midnight."

Editor's Note:  Mr. Balcom works an interesting poetic conceit for the tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease and memory loss disorders.  I believe the Father of Horror would have approved.