What’s in a word,
A dirty word?
What power lies in beds
Made by translucent schemes.
Dreams.
They lie on the floor
Bleeding in scabby pools
That betray one’s trust.
Dreams.
Crushed into shards…
Little icy crystals…
Form a chrysalis tomb.
Dreams.
Nightmares fill the mind
Of the innocent child
Hidden inside the feeble
Façade of maturity.
Obscurity.
The reasons are obscure;
Yet, that word…
That dirty, dirty word
Manifests like a birdsong
Screeching forth from hell.
Labeled.
To, in a sense, be tabled.
To be rendered disabled
In the minds of those
Who always fail to care.
Labeled.
Storied, stretched, and fabled
As if truth’s being stabled.
Lies cry forth from
The entombed shrine.
So, what’s in a word,
A dirty, dirty, dirty, word?
What “word”?
Does the word matter
When the voice of the wolf
Has been set to crow?
The “word” now wounds
Those it intends to heal.
Can one feel
The pain in the hollow night?
The future, not so bright,
Lies undaunted in its misery.
The “word” follows endlessly.
There’s no detachment.
It is the specter that haunts
The dead and their cursed memory.
The “word” is a vile thing.
Detestable as it grips tight,
Choking out any light
From the eyes of the beholder.
The “word” is a cold shoulder.
What “word”?
It could be “faggot”.
It might be “maggot”.
It might be “maggot”.
It hasn’t been “queerbait”,
At least not as of late.
It has definitely been “crazy”
And followed up with “lazy”.
“Hazy”?
Maybe even “dazy”.
The word was once “freak”,
The word was once “freak”,
And the ever-classy “geek”.
If you’d like another peek,
Perhaps it’s this you seek:
The bottle’s shadow
From a long-gone watery land,
Places its message in hand.
Like pictures in the sand.
Labeled.
Labeled.
To enable
The ability to table
A being for a fable.
To render one disabled.
Labeled.
As bucolic
As “alcoholic”.
It’s never symbolic.
Labeled.
The vultures are elated
When they win.
The carrion prize
Carries on in mouths
Fit for the grave.
The “word” is their
Victory over the powerless.
Labeled.
-
Author:
Tristan Robert Lange (
Offline) - Published: November 26th, 2024 10:39
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 27
- Users favorite of this poem: Teddy.15, Thomas W Case, NinjaGirl
Offline)
Comments10
Excellent write Tristan
Thank you, Tony! Much appreciated! 🙏❤️
You're welcome Tristan
I've never been one for labels .. unless they are on the tin or packet of grub .. then they are important .. but that's about it .. there aren't may positive labels, are there .. I think you have posted something quite important here Tristan and hope that when folk come along, they will take on board much of what you have left here for them to digest .. Neville
Thank you Neville. I absolutely 💯 on board with your assessment! There are not many labels that are positive...not when it comes to labeling humans. Thank you so much for your time and thoughtful response! Much appreciated my friend! In more ways than I can express. ❤️🙏
I hate labels. I think they do a great disservice to anything that they are placed on. They serve as a dichotomy, good versus bad, perfect versus imperfect normal versus abnormal. I don’t like them at all very nicely written and falls right in line with how I feel.
Amen my friend. They serve no good. Thank you for your read and for your thoughtful engagement! Always appreciated! 🙏❤️
So very powerful, even the word itself these days is intimidating, we can't escape the fact of labels, never have I had anything with a label personally, I prefer artigian things that are unique, but your poem truly brings one to think about the power labels hold, especially to the young, now we are surrounded by influencers in our mad world. Oh I shan't go on except to say Heinze Beans is my favourite label but they cost almost 4. Euros a tin here so in 23 years Ive.never purchased one. Sorry I've gone on but this is such a well written piece and timeless to the world today. 🌹 Thank you...... ❤️
LOL! I am glad that my poem elicited all of your response. First, in terms of brand labels...I am all in and I agree with you on the egregious prices. Here in the USA they cost around $6.99 give or take a smidge. Just insane! I do love them beans too! ☺️ But, yeah...no thank you at that price! I can make and bake my own! LOL! As for the poem itself, I truly appreciate your take on it and I concur with you. Thank you so much for your time, Teddy, and for your thoughtful response. 🤗❤️ 🙏
Powerful and poignant work.
Thank you Thomas! I truly appreciate your time and engagement! Always appreciated! 🙏❤️
Yet it is not the word itself but the long oftimes maggoty connotations which hang from it.... ever multiplying, ever growing...
Thanks Tristan - definitely worth a visit.
You are welcome, Dave! Glad the poem resonated and I am always thankful for your visits, my friend! 🙏❤️
Good write T. The Co-op (do you have those shops in USA) has a label: 'Cake for £9.99.' lol.
We do have Co-Ops here. LOL! Thank you, friend! Glad fbs poem delivered and I always appreciate your feedback! 🙏❤️
The Co-op - here at least - is medium to very expensive prices, I find. There was a 'Pound Shop' with everything at £1 - or most things. It was too expensive for me. My middle name being Scrooge, I used the 99p shop. heehee.
LOL! Well, 99p is one p richer than £ would leave you, so I get it! LOL! Yeah, I'm not finding many cheap places aside from $ stores and even they tend to be more like $$$-$$$$$ stores! LOL! So, right there with you! ☺️
In a world where labels sting, Let words of healing take wing. Lift the dreams from scabby pools, Break the chains of cruel rules. Having been on the receiving end of diminishing labelling, a whole section of my preteen and adolescent writing focused against labels, this poem brings it to Ground Zero. TFS, friend 🙏🏻
Indeed. That was my experience in school too! Seems to shape some of us into poets, eh? LOL! Not happy for the bullying, but thankful for the craft and form of expression for sure! Thank you reading and engaging. 🙏❤️
If only that inner shaped retreated into the depths later to surface again rather than to have remained and be bent out of shape or even mutilated, defaced, maimed, etc. That could be something to explore, mmm…
Something to explore indeed! ☺️ Again, I truly appreciate the thoughtful engagement, my friend! ❤️🤘😎
You are most welcome 👍🏻
A label is trying to sum up an entire person in one word. making them smaller, less than what they are. if all one ever is is "weak" they won't know if they can ever be strong in anything.
💯Truth! Thank you so much for reading and commenting! Much appreciated! 🙏❤️ You certainly got the point! 😊
Yes...I suppose you don't need someone to explain the meaning of a poem you wrote yourself!
Hahaha! Actually, I love it when people do because it affirms that my point got across, which isn't always the case! LOL! I am always grateful, either way, because a poem really takes on its own life and meaning once it is public and interpreted by others, but it's always neat to know that I conveyed what I wanted to effectively without further explanation. So...thank you kindly for that! 🙏
haha no problem
giving me lots to ponder about - good write
To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.