Through sleeping trees
I walk and see
An endless woodland
Ahead of me
The sun relents
Behind burgeoning clouds
My footing and spirit fail
This weakening heart
Within my chest
Is slower, tired
And craving rest
Unsure the paths
That led me here
Unsure the way to go
Something pursues
In the woods, I fear
It keeps in shadows
And follows me here
Intentions unknown
Most likely unkind
When finally, are revealed
A silence falls
An ill wind blows
And in my heart
A darkness grows
Adrift, forgotten
So far from home
I endure to no avail
My disquieting companion
Is patient, concealed
Watching for weakness
Should one misstep reveal
I must take ample care
With a pretense of strength
To hide any expression of fear
With wounded composure
Much uncertainty ahead
My remaining possessions
Are hunger and dread
How far have I traveled
Am I unhinged or just lost
Is there any cause left to press on
The beast circles closer
Keeping hidden from sight
Watching in sunlight
Stalking at night
Why not just end
This tormented pursuit
And grant my poor soul repose
Yet, Life wants to live
To survive, even now
Ignoring all suffering
Regardless of how
Might I still stand
Will I still fight
Or embrace everlasting night
The demon that followed
In the woods is now here
No longer in shadows
With no hint of fear
Eyes, dark as death
Cut right through me this night
I will stand my ground, I will fight
All assurances betray me
Blood is spilled, life is taken
The trees slumber, indifferent
They never awaken
One soul persists, weak and broken
The other, lifeless upon the ground
With vile content, Death claims its foul prize
In the somber, grim darkness
Now eerie with silence
The cold encircles, embraces
The night’s grave, deadly violence
Blood flows, dark red crimson
I’ve not much left to give
Yet regardless, even now, Life still wants to live
Copyright © 2018 Twenty Seventeen, LLC
https://ahbrowning.com/poems-etc/
-
Author:
A.H. Browning (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: June 13th, 2018 17:37
- Comment from author about the poem: I hope you will read the poem before my comments. I am acquainted with disease in my personal life. My father died with complications from Parkinson’s and my mother became a casualty of cancer after several years of fighting. I've lost others to cancer as well. I feel this poem can be interpreted in different ways, however I wrote it attempting to metaphorically describe some of the emotions of a journey with a life-threatening disease. My poem, Through Sleeping Trees does not speak about disease directly, but rather I try to evoke some of the emotions that might occur with a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness; feelings such as isolation, being alone or fear and apprehension about the situation or the future. I also tried to speak to the desire to live, to survive, no matter how difficult and also to touch on feelings of exhaustion and wondering if it is worth continuing to fight. Through Sleeping Trees is intended to represent the “journey” between diagnosis and the ultimate reality of each and every disease related situation; always hopefully a cure, but that is not always the outcome. Thank you so very much for reading.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 47
Offline)
Comments2
I liked the poem as I read it but after reading your comment and explanation I reread it. It definitely takes on deeper meaning making it more profound and thought provoking. Great metaphors to describe the "journey" . Great write. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read and I really appreciate your comments. I had more than the usual difficulty getting this on stared. I cannot sit down and make myself write anything, It has to "happen" and furthermore, I'm always having to relearn to be very patient. (I do enjoy the process of writing, though) While I knew the thoughts and emotions I wanted to try to convey, I did not know how to go about doing that in an indirect manner. I hope that it worked. Based on your comments, maybe it did. Thanks again.
Kindest Regards
It did. It's a powerful piece. I'm sorry for your losses. / Congrats on a wonderful piece of work. / I understand about having trouble forcing the writing, I have issues with that too. Sorry about all the dashes. I had several things to say that had nothing to do with each other.
A sensitive write A.
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