"the rose colored villa" by w v sutra

all green was the name

in the house where they lived

rose colored it was

and full of anxiety

hamlet and papa hamlet fell out

because hamlet would not get a haircut

or stop having sex in his room

or stop smoking that hash

or give over playing bass in our band

or even go to school

papa hamlet was rich and so never felt shame

but writhed in disgrace and rage

mama hamlet wrung her hands with woe

over what was to become

of her longhaired dopestained son

there was always a lot of shouting

we did our best to ignore it

one gray and windswept day

we were there for a jam

in a room on the roof

where the maids did laundry old school

tintin was there with a brand new nikon

so we smoked a few cigarettes for show

leafed through some playboys

mugging for the camera

i had some new boots on

i hold the picture still

later we strapped on our gear

and played through our set

always loud sometimes good

into the last act with

doubled vox distortion boosters

tintin burst in shouting

run for your lives and we did

there from the rooftop we saw

a giant waterspout

weaving and looming

over saint georges bay

we watched like rabbits

frozen by the awful sight

as the funnel made landfall

down by the sporting club

and the crust of the land broke its back

and it staggered on the biscuit colored streets

a great bath of salt fell from the sky

on the neighborhood of manara

and the lighthouse tall and striped

black and white

they say fishes and seaweed and sand fell too

but i never saw them

all green was the name

rose colored the villa

one day I went by

to find them all gone

and my guitar on the front door landing

safe and sound in its case

w v sutra was born in Africa and raised in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, borne hither and thither on the surging tides of cold war and soft power. He has been at various times a rock musician, a public health professional, and an educator. He began writing poetry during the Covid-19 lockdown. His work can be found in various online journals and at wvsutra.com . He lives and works on a horse farm on the shoulders of the Holston Mountains in East Tennessee. Twitter @w_v_sutra