"Front Of House"

There’s a party happening right now on the other side of the city
There’s people chatting and clapping, stupid dancing and whispers of a little something naughty a bit later
Their atmosphere travels across the neighbouring rooftops and in a while it tumbles and taps at my bedroom window
Begging me to make an appearance and I was already thinking about just turning up
The invite said 5:30 and it’s already 7 o’clock…
I think that this makes me fashionably late
And I haven’t seen everyone together like this for ages.

Ready in no time and I’m walking through the city back roads
It’s strange but wonderful how everything seems different tonight-
The buildings sideways and above, and the shops all around look another colour
I guess you see something new all of the time
Also the people that pass by me all look like strangers-
Maybe I don’t really know everybody like they say I do
The sky looks different too-
It looks like rain and sunshine mixed together…
So the light is low and bright white and so nothing can be hidden
Each crack and crumble exposed for the world to see
This evening the old city looks completely new to me.

I’m turning down familiar streets that I’ve turned down a million times before
But tonight they are shining and seem to be so beautifully clean
The house is getting closer and I’m getting that feeling in my belly
And so the laughter, fears, tears and butterflies all fight for front of house…
Only a footstep from the front door and I can hear a mixture of funnies, cheers and mumbled voices and glasses being dropped or chinked
I stand and wait for a couple of minutes and I listen
The music is all of my favourites including some hard to find remixes
And I suddenly realise that this party is for me.

Inside their smiles and welcomes are overwhelming and people hugging just too tightly with a warmth that was unexpected but kind of funny
Everyone is here and some that I haven’t seen for years so he must of sent out his cyber spies across all of those friend networking sites
I can’t believe this is all for me and I’m just lost for words as the music comes to a sudden stand still…

“The glasses were raised slowly to the air and speeches that touched my every hair
As the tears welled up and were close to falling I stood and looked into every single face
That’s when I saw that they couldn’t see me and they were just starring into space
I now knew that I had already been here earlier and had just come back for one last look around before I said goodbye…
I smiled helplessly and I foolishly waved as they wished me all the best
And I turned around to look into what I thought was the setting sun, but it was nothing more than the light at the end of my time…”






© 2007 Steven Pottle