Maryanne by Carl Rubino

I met her between Rotterdam and Amsterdam
Riding on the overnight train
She looked at me and said her name was Maryanne
Or at least, I remember it that way
We talked all night as we rode the rails
Past the tulips and the barges on the Seine
When we stepped off the train in Amsterdam
We were walking hand in hand

Her hair was dark and long, her eyes were green
She had the prettiest smile I’d ever seen
We strolled along the banks of the old canal
Old people passing by would sweetly smile
The pigeons parted in flight, as we walked along
Like a scene in celluloid on the silver screen
Though it felt quite natural
Something was not quite what it seemed

She said: “I want you to come along with me”
I had a feeling it had to do with destiny
I asked her what it was and she just looked at me
And I knew she was a woman of mystery
I followed her up a single flight of old, stone steps
To a rooming house in the shadow of the Rijksmuseum
We took basement room with a big brass bed
The window wore a veil of lace

We made love through the afternoon
And on as darkness filled the room
Our limbs lay entwined in afterglow
Bathed in the shadow of the moon
We slept as one ’til sunlight came and washed the room
I awoke to what was like a dream
Her eyes were a window to another world
I’d never imagined, never seen

And while the smell of love still filled the room
A tear formed in the corner of her eye
She looked at me and said she must be on her way
She packed to leave, I asked her why
She told me there were things better left unsaid
And things that were not easy to explain
But I should always hold her in my memory
And she would always do the same

Framed by the doorway she said goodbye
A tear formed in the corner of my eye
As she turned and walked away I got the strangest chill
Though I know it was not from the cold
The curtains swirled and rustled on the windowsill
The room held not the slightest breeze
It almost seemed as something else had left the room
As Maryanne took her leave

I sprinted up the stairs to the floor above
My heart was pounding louder than my feet
As I reached for the knob on the old, oak door
The landlady called out to me
She said I hope you liked your stay in that big brass bed
I never could quite give it away
You see that was the room of my daughter dear
Maryanne, whose passed away

I ran out to the streets of Amsterdam
Not knowing where to go or what to do
I walked along the banks of the old canal
The pigeons parted in flight as I passed through
Then in the distant mist I saw my Maryanne
She looked back at me, I heard her say
I will always hold you in my memory
And you should do the same

I met her between Rotterdam and Amsterdam
Riding on the overnight train
She looked at me and said her name was Maryanne
Or at least, I remember it that way
She looked at me and said her name was Maryanne
Or at least, I remember it that way
She looked at me and said her name was Maryanne
I’ll always remember it that way