Silver nitrate melodrama; 
a scene, a street somewhere,
a coffee house,
an undyed zombie stands outside,
crooked phalanges
beckon customers inside.
The band plays melancholy
three four music as people
promenade their Sunday best,
then a tango vamp,
enter a man in a bowler hat.
Chaplin takes the menu,
the zombie’s hand
sits in his detached;
unseen the foley artist
rattles stones…
Fade to black.
Iris opens,
Chaplin’s eyes widen
filling the screen
then they are swallowed
by his mouth opening,
a silent scream;
the foley artist
scrapes his nails
across a sheet of metal.
Iris shuts.
Today, you will find many wonderful poems over at d’Verse Poetry where the prompt is silent movies.
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oh snap this is delicious marousia…love the word usage…zombies and vamp…a surreal scene and so fit an ending…lovely!
Thank you – so glad you ‘enjoyed’ the ending 🙂
Wonderful poem. Everything perfectly described. Your mention of fingernails scraped across metal made me shudder.
Thanks Matt – sorry I made you shudder – lol
Such perfect descriptions that I got lost in the moment and transported back in time. Thank you.
very kool and unique presentation. A behind the scenes kind of look. Very good.
http://henryclemmons.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/jazz-singer/
yikes! a darkside to silent films. very creative. poor charlie 😦
That is a frightening scene… poor Charlie ~
spooky =)
Oh… silver nitrate… wonderful opening for a wonderful poem. Love what the prompt brought from you.
Beth
what a unique perspective and take on this prompt! From behind the scenes, you directed this piece beautifully, creatively!
Love the style and voice resident in this piece – a killer chiller – a V. c o o l poem
Definitely the trailer for quite a film here, felt like I was sitting in the dark watching it, not reading it. Bringing the dead back to life never seems to work out well, does it? Loved it.
Chilling. There is something so sinister and scary that the silence can convey.
I love this part, but I think you meant “scrapes”: “the foley artist
scraps his nails”
Your opening stanza is killer:
Silver nitrate melodrama;
a scene, a street somewhere,
a coffee house,
an undyed zombie stands outside,
crooked phalanges
beckon customers inside.
Well spotted – thank you – I have made the correction