Unspoken: A Poem on the Gluttony of Fear
(Artwork by ©MWeissArt 2015)
Please tell me
what you hide –
those black claws
at the soul,
dark shapes
that you ride
The grand prix
of all failures
you’ll hide it away
so in the forever –
I can still play.
Now feed me
your doubts,
those greedy bugs
creep crawlin’
can’t have what is mine
when I come a callin’
My mistrustful mistruths –
hollow trails carved today,
will help you my dear
oh yes, they just may
The fires you rage
and ashen tears
that do fall –
I take them all.
So bring me your
cries in the night,
those hollow shadows
that coil real tight
I gobble and gorge
on shivering shrieks,
along with great pains
and your hardest defeats
Point fingers
throw blame,
yell and scream
in my name
‘cause the more
anger you spout
is what I’m all about
You’re scared,
don’t you see?
It’s what I want
you to be
Give up, cast aside
roll over, stay down –
it’s all in a day’s work
when I come to town
You feel sick?
No I promise you’re well!
Mirage’s infection
is all part of the spell
That’s pathetic,
forget it!
Sheer nonsense –
make believe
this casting me aside
risking joy’s stupid ride
I’m part of life’s fabric,
reams of danger
come loose
who sound the alarm -
and that’s of no use?
I drive you
survive you,
I shield and
seclude you!
I promise quite true
cross my heart
‘til its blue
Hush take one sip
just a drop
of my cure –
desperation’s the game
when control has free reign.
Beautiful poem! Once again, it is very relatable. I think everyone encounters this demon called fear from time to time. It can become very overwhelming and all-encompassing, devouring all your positive thoughts.
This is very true. Fear can hit so fast and hard that you just give up on a project you previously thought would be awesome.
But we must fight it. It's a bit of a cliché, though I still like this quote:
"fear has two meanings: either we can Forget Everything And Run or we can Face Everything And Rise. The choice is yours."
A fellow actor once told me that being nervous right before stepping on stage is a good thing: it means that you really care about the play and you want to give it your best shot. I think this is true for other situations as well. If it stresses you out, it means you deeply care about it, which is actually a good thing.
Thanks for the in-depth feedback @woodzi! I was reading some articles in the Rolling Stones about how Fox News grew to be the greatest fear propaganda machine ever and another on why we're so afraid as a society, even though we literally live in the safest time in all of human history. It definitely inspired me to examine fear - my own and our collective - more closely.
I like the quote you posted too! From speaking with family members who struggle with depression, I know also that for many, a constant fighting can be exhausting and a losing battle in the end. They find more of an acceptence of the dark in them, but choose to nurture and further cultivate the light of fear's opposites: love, hope, belief, faith, joy, dreams, and connection.
I agree with you that the stronger your reaction to something, the more you've allowed it to mean to you - which requires vulnerability and courage in my opinion. It's why I don't believe in detachment or stoicism, hah. Cheers!
wowa great poem @underwaterwomen just upvoted and followed hope you do the same in return
Thanks @danimal :)
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Awesome! Thank you so much :)
"desperation’s the game/when control has free reign"... I love these last two lines! Brilliant. Pointing, perhaps, to the connection/opposition between control and the impulse to break free, that repression of an emotion only makes it stronger? Not sure if that's what you're meaning here, but it's what it evokes for me.
To personify the emotion and speak with its voice is an interesting approach. It's such a personal and yet universal experience to feel fear. From the perspective of this reader anyway, it seems ambitious to cover all of that ground in one poem, but I think you did it very effectively!
Thanks for sharing the impact of the piece on you, including the ending! Towards the end, I was thinking really about how fear is used as a way to keep us desperate, which is a form of control. It is used in our political systems for sure, but also by us on ourselves. We feed fear and make choices that are "safe" in order to feel "in control" of our lives. I'm glad the speaking from the point of view of fear came across effectively. Cheers!
I love so many lines in this poem. I this is my favorite piece:
It really captures the sensory feeling of fear, as well as tension; not knowing what may be hidden in the shadows.
Everyone feels fear, but I think it is one of the most unacknowledged emotions. No one wants to feel fear or admit they are fearful. But so many things in life from the small and mundane (will my son's team win the game and make it to state?) to the bigger things (will my mother-in-law like me?) to the really big stuff (am I worthy/do I matter?) to actual terror (who's there/what was that sound?)--and yet how many conversations do you have where people will label whatever they are fretting about or whatever is keeping them from taking action in their lives "fear"?
I guess what I'm saying is I really liked it!
Thanks for your thoughtful note and I'm glad that the piece impacted you :)