Life Weariness (Day 30)
Something deep, unreasoning
obstinate, unconvinced, old
myriad arms, embraces, caresses
yet only one voice—timeless
Beckoning and authentic
profound and terrible
bewitching and nostalgic
Gently mocking, insolent
of all footholds in life
breathing icy nothingness
into the fireplace of our hearts
Till we weary of the dizzying dance
and sidestepping that intricate net –
between sleep and waking, in a trance
collapse in her arms, our wishes met.
© Yahia Lababidi
(Images: 1. Mine, 2. Painting by Agostino Arrivabene)
This is my entry for Day 30 of @d-pend's The 100 Day Poetry Challenge. If you're looking to develop your skills (as a writer or Steemian) and discover a sense of community, please, consider joining Steemit School on Discord
As I was said on the @Isleofwrite, I wanted to comment on this, but fell asleep. Not from reading this, from general exhaustion. :)
I’ve a bit more energy, so I’ll blabber on before I head out for my run.
But having read your ‘Breath’ piece, I was interested in reading another, so I’m glad it sounds like you’re back on the poetic steemit trail. You’re now on my must-reads poets on steemit now besides Johngeddes. Very different experiences. So you’ll just have to put up with my long-winded commentary from the warpy lazy brain of mine when the mood strikes me.
To my untrained eye, I’m not sure what type of poetry this is, but it draws you in as you try to guess what the poet means. Yes, I know you told us in the title of this post and the poem, but it was still a guessing game. The first read, I think apathy, love, creativity and how all those things are ever present fighting each other. But after a few more reads, I started to think about hallucinations. A quick google—because google is an extension to my brain—and that state between sleep and waking is hypnagogia.
What I found fascinating was how I then could twist every word in your poem to reflect exactly what I get in this hypnagogia state, if that’s what it is I experience. It’s a terrifying voice, the hallucinations feel mocking and cold, there’s a dizzying spinning I can’t sidestep, it catches me, but I don’t want to collapse. Collapsing is bad...I just want to wake up. It took me many years to finally understand why I’d get into these states. My husband finally noticed the trend. It’s not weariness of any kind, it was exhaustion. So my twisted version of your poem would be retitled: ‘Exhaustion’ or whatever the Latin equivalent is.
The places where good poetry leads you... Thank you for sharing this though-provoking piece.
Edited to add: Adored the art!
There you are, Linny :) Forgive me, if my response is abbreviated (I've guests & tipsy, but wanted to get back to you). As I said earlier, every reader remakes the poem in their own image... So, although I had a kind of exhaustion in mind, I'm interested to hear of your hypnagogia. As Wilde says, 'all art is, at once, surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface, do so at their own peril.' Thanks, for diving in!
I’m glad you got some value from my hypnagogia reference. After all, I analysed and re-analysed over and over, trying to connect what you might have been experiencing, and then just made it all about me. hehe
Abbreviated is perfectly fine, quality over quantity and so forth. If you see me waffle on, especially on a poetry piece, it just means it made me think hard. I’m outrageously lazy in deep thinking. So the fact you write in a way that invites thought is wonderful.
I have already gotten a lot of value in the bits of wisdom and pointers in your responses, so don’t feel you need to respond to this either.
Finally, many thanks for the inspiration. This is in reference to your previous responses elsewhere. :)
Cheers, Linny
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I'm very grateful for your support, @princessmewmew & @adsactly, many thanks, for your encouragement!
pleasure! breath of fresh air :)
Much appreciated! Good to see more poetry being featured :)
it's a great poem. Well done!
That is kind of you to say. Even though I’ve published 3 books of poetry in the last decade, Steemit has been a kind of rebirth for me, as a writer 🙏🏼
Till we weary of the dizzying dance
and sidestepping that intricate net –
between sleep and waking, in a trance
collapse in her arms, our wishes met.
Wonderfully satisfying write, Yahia:)
Thank you, for reading, @prydefoltz.
Good to be back (albeit temporarily).
Where are you going?
Who knows? Dropped out of challenge, for a week, and weaving back in for a bit...
Well ... glad to have you back:)
Second last stanza lyrics are very nice .
Thanks, for reading, I appreciate it.
Always in awe bro... love the flow of this story and the way you've animated it with your words... very unique!
I always like a happy ending :D
With Love
Hart Floe Poet
♥
Bless your big heart, man--I, too, like happy endings & believe we can have them (if we put in the work).
Love, Yahia
Mmmmmm amazing poem great one @yahialababidi
Thanks, for taking the time to read and comment, @eunireal1 ✌🏼
Goodnight new friend
The poem seems to be aimed at the cryptocurrency. Who plays with our heart in a mocking way. Go up and down at will
Haha... what a refreshing reading & the last thing on my mind! But, that's the joy of it, I suppose; the writer's interpretation is only one of many :)
breathing icy nothingness
into the fireplace of our hearts
🖤🖤🖤
Chilling, inexplicable thing. I think of this definition of vertigo:
—Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
This is one of my favourite books of all time. I fell in love with Kundera for observations like this.
He's delightful!
Long time no see, you've been busy in the "real world" it seems. My interpretation of this, is that you have been working on something tirelessly to the point of no sleep and you finally got it done and are relieved ("collapse in her arms, our wishes met"). well thats my take.
What a choice for the second picture, I bet you can tell me who painted it and what century it is from. ( I see you as that type of guy lol)
Right beneath second picture, I have the name of painter ;) He’s a modern master who uses old world techniques to mix his paints & explores esoteric themes.
Thanks, for your take on poem. I have been occupied with real world concerns, good to share more poetry, here.
Got it, I checked him out. pretty esoteric indeed, could make poems just trying to interpret his art.
Thanks.
I agree. In my humble opinion, I think he’s one of the greatest living artists. 👌🏼
Life make all of us tired sometimes ...I am just not ready yet to give up on meaning ... but then we all know I am stubborn and most likely more than clinically insane ...
"I" is the source of the problem, the less we say/think of ourselves, the easier it is to get along with others & life. Thanks, for stopping by, Tyger.
Not sure I completely agree with that . I believe that the I only becomes a problem when it forgets their responsibility it has to the We. If there is a God /Gods i'm pretty certain that the images and understanding I had when I was still 100% certain are correct I Believe that the quest for self and the refinement of self serve a divine purpose. Creation every piece of it is born out of the question- who am I? through our choices through our individual facets the divine learns who he/ she /it / they is . So denying the I as so many would like us to do is in my view a crime against the force that wanted our existence in the first place . There is a need for balance however while we should not deny our needs and who we are we also need to understand that we share this universe with that exists.
I am typing that from my phone I can't see anything so if I have spelling mistakes please forgive
In the words of Hamza Yusuf:
I do agree with this: the quest for self and the refinement of self serve a divine purpose. Truth in paradox, how we need to find and refine self to overcome it--the way we use words to lose words. Thank you, for sharing, Tyger, and sweet dreams.
What you call ego is just a very small part of the I. People waste so much time feeding it excessively it or trying to reign it in. The thing is it is a tool a sense of the true I. Most humans rely on it as their other parts are often disabled or dormant the trick is to work on elevating the other senses to create balance. Most mystical traditions do this by trying to destroy the ego, which can work short term but which once again leave a soul in imbalance. If you have a limp you don't cut off the leg :P as is it's all work in progress :) - Sleep well :)
We agree to disagree, once again. Mystical traditions subdue the ego, because it is a barrier to our development & emptying ourselves to fill up with the Divine. There’s nothing ‘short term’ about visionaries, unless you’re viewing them from the outside, through the limited lens of ego ;) As you see, I feel no need to act as bribed defend of the problematic self. But, we’ve had this exchange before, Tyger, and are going around in circles :p