Poetry
Writing to, from, and about the parts within. Sharing to normalize the healing process.
Out Now: How To Write Evocative Poetry
The Cave
Once
When I was a young boy
You yelled at me
Objectively
It wasn’t much
But it was enough
That night
I built a cave
Inside my mind
One that overlooked
A lake
Whose water
Perfectly reflected
The beauty
Of the nature
That surrounded it
The cave was secret
And strong
And safe
The lake was still
And soft
And serene
I quickly learnt
To hide in that cave
And to gaze upon the water of the lake
Loosing myself
In the reflection
Of a false reality
Made real
By fear
You never yelled at me again
In fact
We never really spoke
At least
Not about anything that mattered
As you pulled away from me
I found solace
Sitting in the cave
Whose creation you inspired
I’d look at the lake
Wishing
You’d appear
Wishing you would
Say
‘Son, won’t you come swim with me?’
But you never came
Later
When I left home
You didn’t fight for me
You didn’t speak or even acknowledge
My absence
But you did leave a mark on my mind
That cave
Is now haunted
By the silent screams
Of the words
You left unsaid
And that lake
Still has ripples
From the rocks
We never thew
Together
The beauty of nature is obscured
By your indifference
And
I no longer
Have anywhere safe
To hide
This poem is inspired by my book, How To Write Evocative Poetry
my shadow bleeds ink
i’m frozen
reading the words
scratched upon my soul
long before
i knew
how to read
but now that i’m baked
i’ve got a new take
a new way to remake
and rewrite the wake
so many tears
for so few words
it is on me
to see
and send love
inwardly
my shadow bleeds ink
yet i hold the pen
with these words
i begin again
for my story will be long
with chapters anew
and these words
were so few
the body keeps the score
but the pen holds the key
the paper is the door
so love what you see
begin again
This poem is inspired by my book, How To Write Evocative Poetry
i’m worth keeping
upon waking
i’m dismayed to discover myself already breaking
thoughts preaching
lights beaming
whispered voices that feel like screaming
i find myself fleeing
huddling in a corner
counting heartbeats
shallow breathing
i can actually feel my rationality leaving
whatever i was is now just dissociated dreaming
i long to find meaning
behind these tears now streaming
but all i can muster is passive disbelieving
i thought such pain was leaving
i thought i was a book worth reading
i thought by sharing and speaking
my days would be filled with more than just ink bleeding
time passes and i hear my kids pleading
they want their dad
not some broken mess stuck self-defeating
time to put on the mask and pretend that the world has stopped screeching
that my thoughts are no longer scheming
and that my pain is receding
but then they hug me and tell me i’m worth keeping
they jump and laugh with smiles gleaming
inviting me to play
requesting
repeating
a loving greeting worth receiving
the world softens
stuck turns fleeting
colour returns
that unmovable block retreating
tension releasing
light increasing
clear seeing
i hold them
and commit to continue proceeding
today was hard
but sometimes just surviving counts as succeeding
Looking In
I close my eyes.
Where once there was vividness
There is now a vague blur.
Stories and visions intermingle
A kaleidoscope of confusion.
Words and non-words alike
Are spoken and responded to.
The allure of reality is lost,
Replaced by the bliss of the abyss.
The joy of not knowing
Is ever more tempting.
Closing my eyes to avoid it all,
To get to where release was once felt.
But no more.
The avalanche of memory greets me.
I cannot escape the pain inside.
I long to let it go.
To let it all go.