A different time and place
Forbidden speakeasy
The door slowly opens
Loud, wild jazz music
Serenades the midnight hour

I enter the dark, smoky room
Filled with sinners and saints
Pour me one and then another
For a night I won’t remember
And won’t soon forget

The band changes its tempo
Mood shifts into a new feel
A singer appears on stage
Like a mirage in a hot desert
Memorizing who dare to gaze

Voluptuous, sultry, tempting
Wearing a gorgeous dress
Eyes darker than black coffee
Hips sway to a mystic rhythm
Lips that speak only to me

With a breathless voice
Of honey and whiskey
Commanding the stage
Passionate and pure
Confidence and allure

The song ends much too soon
I offer to buy her a drink
Her eyes said yes
But her lips said no
She leaves me with a soft smile

The band picks up the tempo
Loud and wild — just like before
The music takes me back
To a place I’ve never been
I wonder if I’ll see her again…

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A poem by Jason S. Sullivan, 07-30-20