At night, I thought I was king,
basking in a neon crown
of an empty kingdom.
Music shaking the walls of the world.
Like I was a character in a Tom Waits song—
half smoke, half shadow,
half believing it would never end.
I forgot the music always ended.
Another quarter in the jukebox
to stretch the night.
The darkness made promises it couldn’t keep.
Or maybe I just put too much stock
in the noise.
High heels and skirts
drifting through the haze of it,
laughing like nothing ever dies.
Ice cubes floating in glass
like time wouldn’t eventually melt.
Everything softer, easier,
lies moving through the chatter
like smoke in a closet.
I wore the night like a tuxedo,
like it belonged to me forever,
my rusty armor.
But morning never asked permission.
It busted through the window
like it owned the room.
Not gentle. Not patient.
Just light spilling across my face,
indifferent, doing its job.
The spell gone like a beer bottle
busted over a bum’s head.
A half-empty glass of scotch
on the nightstand.
Stale smoke on the roof of my mouth.
The weight of last night
suddenly visible
in the mirror and the ashtray.
And the king of the night
wasn’t a king anymore.
Just a fool who bought into the game.
Just a man trying to remember
how silence works—
like a little snail
doused with salt.
-
Author:
Thomas W Case (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: May 10th, 2026 07:27
- Comment from author about the poem: Just posted a new long-form poetry reading on my YouTube channel featuring selections from Aluminum Cowboys, one piece from Sleep Always Calls, and a sneak peek from my upcoming book Searching for Nod, coming this November. A simple at-home reading—just the work and the page. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvZAR6uno3A Books available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-W.-Case/author/B0CL2RKDGX?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=xsU45&content Thanks for reading and listening.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 7
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, Teddy.15, Kevin Hulme
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Comments4
Your line "Ice cubes floating in glass
like time wouldn’t eventually melt."
is enough by itself to give this poem a fave but there is more and your continued lines of poetic grace make this a wonderful poem. So well done Thomas
King of the night, and what it night it was. Your imagery and metaphors are flawless, love your last lines, hung over and then some! Brilliant. 🌹
And it started out so well. No attempt made to bury, forget. Your write, as usual, dragged me through to the end Thomas, you did not let up and I feel a better person having managed to survive. Keep them coming...
Every line , Every Stanza is like a broken bottle thrust in the eyes. A fine write and fave.
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