There is a deadness in my bark that hardens with time
Oil burns low, hope goes dark, fate sealed with past grime
A stunted growth gnarled and old filled with living scars
Branches ensnarled, roots grown cold, above unreachable stars
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Author:
sorenbarrett (
Offline) - Published: April 26th, 2026 00:53
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 109
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, Tristan Robert Lange, Lorenz, Nature, William Hromada
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Comments16
But from this life is reborn soren.
Andy
Indeed it is Andy and hardening is not bad in and of itself it can be a protection as well as a barrier. Thank you so much for the read and comment my friend
a very deep message portrayed and enjoyed
Thank you for reading and understanding Norman it is appreciated
Good write SB. I thought you meant Fido's bark. Nothing dead about that. he still barks if poets 'forget' to mark poems 18+ where they should be. lol.
Thanks Orchi appreciate it. Yes but I am never sure what is 18+ these days where every TV news has blown up bodies, each Cartoon has characters blown to pieces even Disney has some risque scenes and certainly a lot of violence.
I guess we all suffer the inevitable tempering of life.But it is all part of the mystery.This made me think.Well done compadre
Thank you David for the read and interpretation is means a lot
A powerful poem.{ lost in one mind the feeling of being trapped} This poem revolves around the metaphor of a tree, which symbolizes the poet's emotional state. The imagery you painted, the dead bark, stunted growth, and cold roots, suggests a life that has become hardened and unable to reach its potential. Yet the poet explores themes of decay, stagnation, and the passage of time. You reflect on the emotional and physical toll of experiences that lead to a sense of deadness and hopelessness. I think the purpose of the poem may be to articulate the complexities of feeling trapped by past experiences and the difficulty of reaching for hope, encouraging readers to resonate with the emotions of loss and the struggle for growth.
Thank you very much for your deep and meticulous interpretation of this piece my friend. Purposely vague you have indeed tapped into many of its elements. You thought regarding it is most appreciated.
The metaphor of witness and the passing of time bring so much meaning to this reading. 🕊️🙏
Thank you Cryptic for the read and comment our skin grows thick with age and our dreams more distant
I know all too well that hope does grow dark. For me, I find I stumble upon transformation and renewal rather haphazardly. It is dark until it is light. Time, experiences wear on us. I have a very fragile ecosystem, and things sink into my pores without my knowing. I try to hold up the cell wall. It sounds as if life has rattled you. May you rise to a new sense of wonder.
Thank you Katie for your read and comment as well as interpretation it is most welcome and appreciated. When one chooses to live on the edge one experiences many jostles both for good and bad.
Reads like an olive branch .. 😎👍
An olive of peace I hope. Thanks my friend for your review and kind words they are appreciated
Soren, a quiet weight runs through this…time settling in, shaping everything without asking. The image of those cold roots and scarred growth makes it feel lived, not imagined. Powerful...really well done, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Thanks so much Tristan you have tapped into the theme and ridden it through. It is warmly appreciated
Gnarled and compressed—you turn age and experience into something almost arboreal and tragic, like a living thing frozen mid-strain.
The grit is in that stillness: growth that continues outward, even as everything inside feels hardened and unreachable.
Your gift for interpretation is honored and appreciated Thomas many thanks
There are interwined initials carved into the bark that will never fade ...
Thank you Lorenz for seeing through the darkness yes there are
The Passage of Time on Ones Life and Body.
And the Changes therein.
Good One.
Thanks for the read and comment it is most appreciated
Glimmer fades but hope is rooted deep!
Thanks so much William for the review and words of support they are most important to my my friend
Omg I can relate to this one so well all day long ....sad but wondefully true. love it!
Thank you so much for the read and for your kind words of comment they mean a great deal to me
This is beautiful.
Thank you so much Sviatoslav it is appreciated
Well done!
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