What Is It?
It sits on the table,
shapeless as a rumor,
weightless as a debt unpaid.
You ask, what is it?
and the question itself
becomes the answer’s disguise.
Is it the itch behind the eye,
the word you almost spoke,
the silence that arrived
before the door could close?
Is it hunger,
or the memory of hunger?
Is it joy, or the echo
of joy rehearsed?
The realist shrugs: it is nothing,
a trick of light, a shadow
without a body.
The sentimentalist insists:
it is everything,
the pulse beneath the floorboards,
the ghost that keeps the chair warm.
And so we circle,
naming, un‑naming,
until the question itself
becomes the only thing we trust.
What is it? It is the asking—
the restless hinge
that keeps the door from rusting.
.
.
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Author:
crypticbard (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: February 16th, 2026 05:08
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 11
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, Friendship, marissa, Mutley Ravishes, Tristan Robert Lange
Offline)
Comments8
It is the poeticism itself in the wording, the images and metaphor that make this one a fave.
Glad of it, thanks dear Soren🕊️🙏🏻
Most welcome
Nicely written. Your poem revolves around the elusive nature of understanding and meaning. It explores the complexities of existence, perception, and human emotion, suggesting that the act of questioning is as significant as any answer one might seek
Quite so dear Friendship 🕊️🙏🏻
i love this even fully not understanding it completely
Good write A.
Wow I have missed your poetry.This is amazing.It keeps the suspense until the end like a Hitchcock movie.Just a restless hinge.Wonderful
O, man! That just made my day. Thanks heaps, David🕊️🙏🏻
Quest-ions! Great write.
And the quest continues 🕊️🙏🏻
Reminds me of those Puzzles that went ' My first is in Fish, but never in Fowl' or something.
Never understood them at all. Good images.
Those were fun!
My friend, I’ve wrestled with that same impulse to name what can’t quite be named. The circling, the un-naming…that feels honest. Sometimes the asking is the only solid ground we have. This captures that restless tension beautifully. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
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