The darkness now enshrouds my home
I sit there watching all alone
For what will be revealed to me
By eerie glow of the TV
But if it’s true I’ll find the worst
Whether I am to be cursed
By a fate I soon will know
That comes via the video
The image then becomes erratic
And soon disappears to static
A shiver running down my back
The monitor turns evil black
A vision that can’t be unseen
A ring that forms upon the screen
I’m helpless from what will befall
The phone emits it’s fatal call
A hoarse voice whispers out the phrase
Menacingly “Seven days”
Frozen to the spot with fear
I scarce believe what I did hear
Stare at the vessel of my message
As if it is some sick appendage
And suddenly I’m running free
To find out, can it really be?
My heart beats in a nervous rage
Consulting the calendar page
And then I find out that it’s true
My movie’s a week over due.
Thanks to my son Jesse for inspiration on this one and so many of the other horror themed poems I’ve been writing this month!
Glorious Results Of A Misspent Youth 
Brilliant!
Thank you!
I KNEW you’d have an awesome twist at the end. Bravo!
Yes, and forgot to thank my son for the inspiration. He’s been great at giving me horror prompts. I must update immediately!!
Haha!!!! What a horror! 7 days…… overdue!!! LOL You are the best, Marissa!
I know! Now, we don’t have to worry with all these movie subscription sites but back in the day, it was quite different.
I just told my husband about your poem. Really, I sat in front of that laptop and was bursting. Your ideas, your sarcasm, and the way you put it into a poem…. really…. bursting!!! 😂
Oh thank you…I’m so flattered…blushing…
Really, you are amazing! I admire you for that so much! Cannot wait to hear that live… haha!
Thank you!
😊💖
Ghastly late fees….the horror of it all! Thank you, Marissa!
Quite scary, although I guess the days of movie late fees are in the past. I guess that may be why the movie didn’t have more sequels!!
Those darn dvd players exorcised the vhs ghosts…
Really. Something like video killed the radio star.
Exactly… Like grunge killed hair metal…
Bwahahahaha!!! Gosh, how do you do that? You are a genius!
I just added on a thanks to my son Jesse for the inspiration. He’s been helping me a lot with these horror themes and he mentioned this movie. As soon as I thought about the whole ‘7 days’ thing, it just got my mind going on a whole other track.
It’s brilliant! Wow, looks like a mother and son tandem poem this is. Bravo!
All the way through I’m preparing myself for something grisly and you got me again! I’ll never be able to predict your twists!
Definitely part of my evil plan to take over the world!! Mwah, ha, ha!
Menacing movie madness. It’s late and time to collect the fee, ha ha! Such suspense, I love it 🙂
Thank you! Yes, these things can be rather scary!!
I remember that feeling from the old Blockbuster days 🙂
Kind of miss it. I remember I had a friend back in Brooklyn who worked at a video store and we would go and visit her. Kind of a hang.
To write ‘dark’ – especially so with a pinch of humour lurking in the background – is, I reckon quite the hardest thing to do using verse as the vehicle. It is thus I offer praise beyond measure…nice one!
Oh thank you Mike! If I said that I didn’t find it that difficult, would you still be impressed?
I am indeed impressed yet credit due where credit is due. The metre of your verse (must remember not to do over complimentary stuff…not in an Englishman’s nature) just gets better and better and it wasn’t half bad to start with!
Well, I have been working on it, you know. I think you’ve outdone yourself. You are overdue for a backwards compliment or, better yet, a whole hearted scathing insult.
In time maybe young Marissa!
Streaming highly recommended
I’ve dated myself.
Very nice Marissa! I was doubting about watching or not the video :). I really don’t like horror movies 😀
I think I just saw this one once on TV. I’m not really much for horror movies either but this one is a bit more intelligent than most. My son had to refresh me on the plot.
Better be careful with this late stuff or this guy will turn up at your door:
Oh yes, mr. Bookman, the scariest of them all!
So, I think this may be why I never rent movies. I’m safer that way. 🙂
Well, who really rents movies anymore anyway…at least not with due dates!
Exactly. Or give someone else’s phone number…..
Ha, great idea.
A ghoulish poetess you may be
But your words are fit for Halloween
If you don’t publish a book of poetry soon
You’ll leave your fans howling at the moon.
Oh Phil you know it’s all for you
This fiendish writing about ghouls
Since last Octobers recommendation
It’s been a source of inspiration
As for my writing a book
Perhaps into it I will look
And on page will it surely will
Say ‘this goes out to my friend Phil’
And I completely agree.
*What Phil said. Yep, pretty much sums it up. You just keep getting better!
You’re too kind. The spooky stuff is inspirational. Just wait til Halloween is over for the stink fest to begin!!
The stink fest will smell of rotting pumpkins and hoarded Halloween candy, and you, somehow, will manage to polish the turd with your ingenuity. It’s just what you do. 😺
Ah, a polished turd…that’s indeed what I will be producing!!
hahaha … those late fees are now dead, dead, dead 🙂
This is very true!!
I got chills on this one. You are really in Halloween mode!!! LOL Great one, Marissa!!! ❤
Thank you Amy! I guess if I gave my readers chills, my job here is done!
You seriously are good!! ❤
Wow! Your son must be in your botherline huh?
Oh, for sure!
lucky there is no longer a rewind fee! unless you are still borrowing VHS?
Oh yes, imagine what kind of havoc. It rewinding would cause!
Hahaha, nothing gives a mini-heart attack like finding out your bills have been over due for days, what a great twist to the poem !
I know that is one of my pet peeves for sure. I hate even having library books over due…and those librarians can be awfully scary!
The video is scary, but the message is even eerily scary. If only everything is free. oops, anxiety is free, 🙂 You’re such a great creative writer Marissa.
Yes, well I suppose with Netflix, you can avoid those late fees now! Glad you liked it Joel.
That’s right. I’m glad you wrote that too. Made me smile. Have a great week ahead.
Ooh, this one is a freaky one with the ring being quite frightening film and even worse and dreadful. Fines accumulated x 7!!
I know, imagine how awful that would be! Horror movie material indeed!
ha ha…worst thing is watching The Ring and then the phone rings!
Oh yes, that does top it. A bit like Inception…but Movieception maybe!!
That late charge is a nightmare, Marissa. I’m chilled. 😮
Quite literally in this case Mark!