NEW POEM: Not A Dry Eye

The following poem, "Not A Dry Eye", has been written in tribute to the singer and actor Meat Loaf upon hearing the sad news of his death.

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Not A Dry Eye

A Poem by Simon Clark

(Dedicated to the memory of Meat Loaf who died on 20th January 2022. The title is taken from his song “Not A Dry Eye In The House”.)

“Not a dry eye in the house, after love’s curtain comes down, listen and you’ll hear the sound, hear the sound of a heart breaking” – from “Not A Dry Eye In The House”, written by Diane Warren and recorded by Meat Loaf

On a hot summer night in August 1993 (I was 9 years old),

A voice came from the radio like a siren, an elegant thundering bell,

Passionate, powerful and pretty all at once,

Soulful, gut-wrenching and heart-churning all at once,

The song became an anthem, a religious calling; a psalm, almost a prayer.

Respect was built,

Others fell by the way side as I made room for your beauty,

You formed a place in my heart and in the soundtrack to my life,

All it took was knowing that you would do anything for love,

The sonic journey and lyrical course,

The attacking, delicate tour de force,

I sang along until I was hoarse,

I visited your genius and bathed in the source of your talent.

Then today I read the news,

The world turned a little colder,

My heart became a little bluer,

My throat became a little tighter,

Like a bat out of hell, you’d gone, gone, gone…

…and there’s not a dry eye, not a dry eye anywhere.

© Simon Clark 2022