Which is worse – to wonder, or to know?
What lies within the place I hate to go …
My stomach twists, my heart feels weary pain
Forever I search reasons to refrain
From visiting the place where shadows lurk;
Where papers wait, to tear my mind from work …
I wonder what dark letters I may find
To torment me, and occupy my mind,
For days or weeks to come – but then again
I might just find a letter from a friend.
Perhaps it will be empty! Then I’d sigh
And know that, for one day more, I’ll survive.
Perhaps there will be something I should know …
I won’t find out, though. Not until I go.
When I was young, my life was free and clean.
My letters were so few and far between.
A postcard from a stranger I’d forgot,
A note about a magazine I bought …
But now those days are over. I remain
A prisoner of this dank unholy bane.
Some remedy there must be, to be had,
Before one day my mailbox drives me mad.
- Written by Anna Williams at age 32
October 22, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Emotion drips though this poem like a sweet syrup: fear, anger, love, etc. Enhjoyed the passion
S. Thomas Summers (a Poets Who Blogs poet)
http://www.freewebs.com/sthomassumers
October 22, 2007 at 6:40 pm
emotion drip trough this lick a thick syrup – enjoyed your passion.
S. Thomas Summers
http://www.freewebs.com/sthomassummers
October 22, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Great poems!
October 25, 2007 at 2:39 am
“Where papers wait, to tear my mind from work …”
This happened to me yesterday!
October 25, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Haha – thanks. It is my Inbox! Just not my email Inbox. Haha. Was a bit of comic relief for me.
October 25, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Yeah Andrew, I guess this happens to all of us. Blasted papers. I saw something else today:
“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” -
Winston Churchill
October 25, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Hi Anna,
I like how the poem opens… it is a sentiment that we can all relate to. And I like the overall feeling created by the poem.
“I wonder what dark letters I may find”
is my favorite line.
I think the poem could be strengthened in a bunch of places by changing up some commonly used words or phrases like
“my heart feels weary pain”
and others like it, which describe how you are feeling, but don’t really paint a picture for the reader.
October 25, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Thank you. It was kind of a joking poem, it isn’t supposed to sound eloquent, is meant to be almost satirical and the trite phrases were intentional.
But thanks for the feedback, maybe one day I make it into something real!
October 25, 2007 at 11:46 am
For some reason, half way down, I thought your bane might be your Inbox. It seemed all too familiar.. ;> I enjoyed reading this.
October 25, 2007 at 5:04 pm
I really like this line-
When I was young, my life was free and clean.
Childhood is like that.