Life Is Strange ---- Original Poem (2011)
Life is strange,
sometimes I feel deranged,
a square peg in a round hole,
imprisoned for life without parole.
Destined to wander these city streets,
a nomad between dying trees
and expanding concrete,
a smitten wasteland.
The bleak portrait of modern man:
the stagnant breeding ground for
mediocre plans and lukewarm revelations,
recycled art and weak inspirations,
old conclusions reached by new explanations.
The ancient wisdom forgotten and replaced
by watered-down mainstream sensations.
This reality is binding me,
a spiderweb of memory:
of both victories and cold defeat,
of ecstasy and agony,
a kaleidoscope of sentiment,
ever-shifting, writhing, breathing, bent
and distorted by self-interest.
Mental defense mechanisms
protect and limit, repress the worst,
forget the minute my mind went cold,
reeling with emotion, on my knees
and weeping in humility.
Knowing the past is gone and future free
is a harsh yet joyous liberty, so
I’ll keep my chin up, still wandering
and wondering if one day I’ll find home.
This is the first poem I ever wrote when I was a sophomore in college. I tried to express the angst and discomfort that I felt living in a society that felt so foreign and toxic to the natural order of things. I like to reflect back on it from time to time, as it captures a certain segment of my youth perfectly. Please leave me a comment letting me know if you can relate to the feelings expressed, or if you felt similar during your early adult years.
Much love, @d-pend.
Photo of me around the time that I wrote this poem. If you look closely you can see the attitude represented in this poem in my facial expression.
The beauty of your poem when you were younger is that it reflected a true testament to a time of confusion, not belonging, being surrounded by depressing man created surroundings, not being understood, being different etc. Life can be very challenging for many, especially when you feel alone. Society tends to make judgments and assumptions which add to ones separation from others. But I'm sure you eventually realized that you are not alone. It is unfortunate that people can be so cruel to each other but be happy that you were not one of the majority. These are superficial and plastic people who will never know what it is like to be on the receiving end of their cruelty and/or isolation. Because of your past experiences, which you fortunately survived, you now have a greater depth of understanding and inner communication skill via poetry, to help other people understand the depth of pain and loneliness one can go through. Trust me, time will make you wiser, more grounded and in time, provide you with a greater understanding why you were given this challenging path in life. At my age, I been through a lot of pain, suffering, betrayal, heartbreak, loss and emptiness. But I survived and became a fuller person with wisdom for having suffered, love for having chance encounters with other good people, strength for facing down most of my fears, and courage, knowing that good will come despite obstacles. Your will realize you have been given a gift. Keep up your expression of inner emotions. One day you will be able to fly free without limits. Just believe........Cabbagepatch
Wow @cabbagepatch all I can say is thank you for the beautiful response.. I appreciate you opening up about how hardship has ended up enriching your life and increasing your wisdom. I have to always remind myself that there is good in what appears bad to us, and bad in good. Of course, because reality is not really dualistic, except in our minds and in a physical sense. Also, life is so powerful because it is cyclical, and we re-trace and refine and re-learn lessons many times in subtly different ways, which polishes us like a cosmic gem. We need not be ashamed of the process of growing, yet the culture often makes us feel that being vulnerable is a weakness. So sometimes we hide away and sequester the deeper aspects of ourselves to protect it from what feels like a hostile and uncaring exterior world. Like you said, we learn in time that we are not really alone at all, ever! It takes dedication and perseverance to continue to walk that path towards wholeness. All the best... d-pend
You are a wonderful person with so much potential because your soul and life experiences are deep. You also possess that spark of light that is so strong, it won't let you falter. I saw something in you that should be cherished and nurtured. Since I was young, for some reason I always knew and felt who were real and grounded. I was always drawn to people who really had a deep, deep inner spirit and you are one of them. I don't waste my time or effort on superficial people. You'll be surprised that there are so many people like yourself. The world is a much, much better place for people like you. I am deeply grateful for your comment but more importantly I'm glad our paths have crossed. Like I said before, please keep writing and expressing because people need to wake up and start caring and loving. .......Cabbagepatch
Another great poem :) U should check my poetry contest with the theme: Mysteries of The Universe. I'v seen u got some philosophical mind as well so ;)
https://steemit.com/poetwisdom/@droucil/poetwisdom-1-poetry-contest-20-sbd-prize-pool
Thank you!!! I'm so excited because that's a perfect topic that I like to explore. I will work on an entry to it, thank you @droucil
Good to hear :) can't wait to see it!
Resteemed the poetwisdom challenge, hope more people can join! My friend @rensoul17 is a wise poet, I hope she makes an entry :)
Woh, thanks so much for the whalevote dude :)! And the more the merrier!
Wow that is very deep man and painful🕊
I am truly amazed by the your thoughts and your quality of writing... There is so much depth in your thinking, which probably has been honed by your experiences.. You will go far...
Such a kind comment, thank you :)
@d-pend got you a 16.79% @minnowbooster upvote, nice!
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Ah, and you've got a rhyming one here that avoids the cheese as well. :) I think many of us can relate, for sure. I feel like a lot of younger day poems have similar sentiments... thanks for sharing!