the clock strikes 12

like mice we travel in packs
10 , 20, 30 of us at a time
drinking well into the night
no stranger to the life

but at the magic hour
before the clock strikes 11
the mind starts to trick
in like a thunder storm
the desire an abandon
all rational thinking
no voice of reason in the vicinity
overcomes and pulls pulls pulls
flooded by the juice
let go of this world
this industrious, productive, illustruous
sunlight, daylight all could be gone in a flash
your life can change in a minute if you want it to
everything you work for
let it go like a drop in the bucket

then it clicks in as the clock strikes 12
this childish chase for a few minutes of bipolar bliss
ecstatic manic mania
her words coming at you like a dead weight
just a few minutes ago
for a whole damn hour
creating chaos in the young who can't understand
in lives that don't crave it
thank god for them
for
all of a sudden waken by another voice
the reason is in

because the mice are wise
by far and beyond
when the clock strikes 12
knowing the end must be near
no matter how much we wish
we could
revisit our youth

just one more time
just one more night
watching daylight

but alas we know
the pleasure is for naught
we've learned from our mistakes
and it's not the pretty anymore

when the clock strikes 12
we know
its almost time to go home

at least start winding down not up
she says
and the clock strikes 12 in my head

a few more hours of social smiles
talks and wine
a night cap indeed
keep the glamour alive

the mice scurry home before the clock strikes 3
and will sleep in bliss
in a dream of clouded flurry
and wake to a new day