VENUS by Tom Jensen
Venus was raised in the Bronx
A block away from the zoo
She lived with mom and dad
Left home at eighteen
And came back at twenty-two
A little wiser, a little more mature
She went off to college
Like she knew she had to do
She had big green eyes
And these big brown curls
Cutest girl in the neighborhood
Envy of all the boys and girls
She came back from college
With her tassel turned to the side
A wandering soul who found herself
And she felt pretty good inside
The first to graduate
From her family tree
A future bright as any star
Even though she didn’t quite know
What she wanted to be
So she started tending bar
Then she started wasting time
Twisting off the bottle caps
And cutting up the limes
Such a friendly girl
Such a sweet sensation
With a smile and a wink
She’s start a conversation
With anyone on a stool
Or anyone playing pool
She started partying a little
But she usually kept her cool
Just a little bit here
And a little bit there
Soon turned to all the time
And then everywhere
She was searching for some truth
But they only told her lies
But when the ship started sinking
Venus quickly cut her ties
Her friends at the bar
Started bringing her down
So she took a step back
And then she skipped town
So she packed her bags
Set off for who knows where
Coming to the conclusion
It had to be better than there
Well she headed out West
And she did her best
To avoid tricky situations
And police stations
She found an apartment
Upstairs from a coffee shop
A place to live, a place to work
And then the partying stopped
After she took that train west
She got her life on track
And it was waitressing one day
When she met Captain Jack
Cap’n Jack was well known as a player
But he knew just what to say to her
What’s a sweetie like you
Doing in a place like this?
He gave her a big wink
She blew him a little kiss
So he stopped in for coffee
Every morning for three weeks straight
He asked Venus for some sugar
Then he’d ask her for a date
And soon after awhile
She gave him another little smile
She finally gave Jack her number
The next day he dialed
On the first date they had
They went to the museum
Looking so good together
Oh man, you should’ve seen ‘em
The very next day
They saw each other again
And forever after that
They were always making plans
Soon she began to fall in love
With what she thought love was
Venus thought Jack loved her too
Why? Well just because
But little did she know
That when her back was turned
She was getting burned
Because Jack soon learned:
That even after so much time
He still couldn’t change his ways
And like so many others
He learned that cheating doesn’t pay
Venus was hearing wedding bells
The stage was set and all
Jack was either hearing voices
Or else nothing at all
His heart wasn’t in it
But he still played along
Stairway to Heaven
Was their wedding song
Even with a ring on his finger
He was still a cheat
He’d meet a woman at the bar
And he’s sweep her off her feet
Well before she knew it
Venus had been had
With a baby on the way
Captain Jack was gonna be a dad
She went in for a checkup
And the doctor said
there was a problem
She asked what could he do?
Doc said we can’t yet solve it
She had HIV
And there’s to date no cure
Venus dropped her jaw
And asked are you sure?
Venus then asked about the baby
After she fell
And the doctor said that
They couldn’t yet tell
Then she muttered
something about Jack
And then something about hell
When Venus got home
she wore a vale
But she took notes
In the back of her head
Her eyes became suspicious
Her heart filled with dread
Still in the back of her mind
She believed she was
better off dead
All the tears in her eyes
She could never conceal
All the pain in her heart
She could never reveal
The truth of it all
She could never bear
She lost touch with reality
Started not to care
Soon Venus hit the bottle
She started lowering her class
Downing all her sorrows
In the bottom of her glass
When trouble finds you
You can no longer hide
Especially when you carry
An unborn child inside
With future dreams shattered
The past became lost
Paying for another’s sins
The highest of cost
As bottles poured…
Others paid too
Newborn baby entered this world
All pale and blue
Another prayer on a stone
As Venus felt alone
With revenge on her mind
She headed on home
She who hated men
And likewise despised the earth
Suicidal thoughts
Spun back and forth
In clouded judgment
And blackened soul
Venus set out
Spinning out of control
With hatred in her veins
Which burned with every breath
She decided to play God
Walking hand in hand with death
She forgot about Jack
As she tried to hold the pain
She returned to the bars
Started snorting cocaine
Venus took her wedding ring off
When she sat on the stool
She started getting free drinks
From every other fool
Venus got a pick up line
And the guy would buy her a beer
Then he’d say
Hey let’s get outta here
That’s what the guy said
So that’s what the girl did
She played poker with their life
When they didn’t even bid
Venus made them
forget their name
Every single night
Then she’d slip out
In the early morning light
With a smile so wide
He’d say what a lay
Then he’d go and get tested
That very same day
For next to his reflection
in the mirror
Was a note written in red:
“Welcome to the world of AIDS
Pretty soon you’ll be dead”
Venus would hit a new bar
She’d hit a new town
And turn that place
Upside down
Up to her they’d come
And she’d lay ‘em down
Then she’d slip out
Without a sound
He’s drinking Scotch
She’s drinking gin
She’d set a trap
And they’d fall in
Finally she broke down
As her conscience became lost
A heart so cold
It filled with frost
She pulled out a knife
Stabbed Captain Jack
Bleeding from the neck
He fell back
She opened a window
Stood on the ledge
Took one last breath
Went over the edge
I still think of Venus
Every now and again
Before it was all over
She took twenty-one men