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Michael
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Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-13
Posts 7666
California

0 posted 2012-01-23 01:14 AM



Iconoclast


She walks outside, cold chills her skin –
The morning come too soon again.
The lost night’s dream hazy, at best,
But serving to rob her of rest.
‘Steps forth in her anemic shell
To face another day in hell…
Casts to the sky one wistful prayer,
Taken by Darkness, unaware.

Living life in an open grave,
In invisible chains of a slave –
The power held by those above her,
Whose beady eyes could never love her.
Her subtle smile might even show,
In some finer fluorescent glow;
But in these corridors of gloom,
Her face runs vapid as a tomb.

And so she moves from her scarred past,
Ever the iconoclast…
‘Forsakes feeling, donning white glove,
Fully incapable of love.
‘Lives life, measured against hope lost –
A peace paid for at any cost…
The silence that envelops her
In fleeting thoughts before sleep’s blur.

‘Turns out the light, shutting out all,
Carves another slash in the wall.
Her ritual of hushed devotion,
Burying remnants of emotion
In cobwebbed vaults where memories thrive;
But even Death seems more alive –
That in some reverent display,
She lives to see another day.
  

Michael Anderson

1/22/2012


I strike! It quivers in that heart
Which drives me to this end;
I draw and kiss the bloody dart,
My last-my only friend!

~Abraham Lincoln

[This message has been edited by Michael (01-23-2012 02:30 PM).]

© Copyright 2012 Michael Anderson - All Rights Reserved
Alison
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Member Rara Avis
since 2008-01-27
Posts 9318
Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy!
1 posted 2012-01-23 01:25 AM


Wow, Michael.  This is amazing writing.  I like your poetry a lot -- this carved a vivid picture in my mind.

A

JerryPat2
Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975
South Louisiana
2 posted 2012-01-23 06:28 AM


Me too, Alison, Michael has carved out a wonderful story which bears a likeness of the ghost-like woman that you can plainly see in my thoughts, Good writing,friend.

~*~ I gave up feeling guilty just to survive a long time ago ~*~

Nicole
Senior Member
since 1999-06-23
Posts 1835
Florida
3 posted 2012-01-23 06:37 AM


Maybe that's the only way she can survive, sometimes.  Perhaps its not what she wants.

Just a thought...

bel1e
Senior Member
since 2006-07-24
Posts 1631

4 posted 2012-01-23 08:29 AM


another masterful poem, Michael~*~  I could feel the movement through the cobwebs of the soul...niiice~

             

Lori Grosser Rhoden
Member Patricius
since 2009-10-10
Posts 10202
Fair to middlin' of nowhere
5 posted 2012-01-23 10:56 AM


Been there lived that and managed to make it out.  You descrbe it well.  

Lori

suthern
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Member Seraphic
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723
Louisiana
6 posted 2012-01-23 01:03 PM


'Lives life, measured against hope lost -
A peace paid for at any cost...

This reminds me of the peace bought by little numbing pills... which isn't true peace at all.

What a powerful write! I particularly love the last verse... cages don't have to be visible to imprison.

OwlSA
Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347
Durban, South Africa
7 posted 2012-01-23 02:19 PM


Very sad, but beautifully written.

Owl

Kit McCallum
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Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774
Ontario, Canada
8 posted 2012-01-23 02:56 PM


"Living life in an open grave,
In invisible chains of a slave –"

I love the phrasing throughout  Michael. I found the second verse appeared to give subtle hope that if she were to take back her power, she could well change this path. I very much enjoyed reading this several times to get a feel for the complexities within the full piece. Nicely penned!

Best wishes,
/Kit

JL
Member Ascendant
since 2004-04-01
Posts 6128
Texas, USA
9 posted 2012-01-23 09:48 PM


I must agree with suthern, she
hit the mark.  And this verse:

"Her ritual of hushed devotion,
Burying remnants of emotion
In cobwebbed vaults where memories thrive;
But even Death seems more alive – "

This is, to me, your "Iconoclast"
Since in my mind death has lost its
sting, and meaning.

Excellent write Michael.
Enjoyed the read.

JL


Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Maranatha!

Michael
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-13
Posts 7666
California
10 posted 2012-01-23 09:48 PM


Alison, thank you so much... I'm glad you enjoyed.

JP, "ghost" is a good word... It's haunting to watch someone caught in such an "unliving" way of life.

Nicole, that's where the "at any cost" line came in... It may be all she knows but if she's never willing to open new doors, she's placed the chains on herself... And will ever be th prisoner of her own fears and self-imposed limitations.

Bel1e, that's just where I like to stir things... Thank you.  

Michael

Michael
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-13
Posts 7666
California
11 posted 2012-01-23 10:05 PM


Lori, glad you made it out of there... It's not a nice place to be lost in.

Ruth, I like your reference to the effect of pills here... There is quite the similarity.  Ignoring something(s) to the point where you numb yourself to them, artificially or not, does not remove them from existence, and in truth, cannot be considered a healthy way to deal with them.

Owl, thank you for reading.  Glad to see you here.  

Kit, you found the "glimpse" of Hope.     yeah, she has the control to change the path, but it has to be her decision... Ultimately, it has to be worth the risk, (of allowing herself to feel again), to her.

JL, aye... It is.  When you start living dead, by choice; when Death itself loses its sting, and life is no longer precious... then you have crossed over.

Michael

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