lauren rebholz
Poem 752 (Otherwise Known as the Poet’s Last Straw)
The words are stuck, the rhymes all sound corny,
I’ve lost all my wit and passion tonight,
But the voice in my head still implores me
To finish this poem by morning’s light.
I can no longer force my eyes to weep,
The muse’s sweet words refusing to start;
Without my dear muse, I’m just not that deep.
I’m left wondering: Is this even art?
I stare at my poor self in the mirror
My “sad visage” “melancholy” and “pained,”
Looking closer, I can almost hear her
Whispering to me, all choked up and strained:
“Please stop! Why are you doing this to me?
You know that we deeply hate poetry!”
Rootless
I feel detached,
As if every bond I’ve ever made
Will one day melt between my fingers,
Dissolving into nothing but grains of
Joy and Love and Memory
That can never be put back together.
Gasping, Grasping
At roots that aren’t there,
At roots too shallow to sustain.
What’ll become of me on the day
That I pull at my roots
And come up with only
Dirt-stained hands?
What have I done?
(nothing)
Everything’s transitory.
Anybody can come and go.
Or just go.
Why do they always go?
No matter if I sit or stand,
Sew my lips shut or scream till my throat goes numb,
There’s always a chance that you’ll
Turn and leave. Again.
Again.
I feel detached,
As if every bond I’ve ever made
Will one day melt away.
And if nothing can last,
If no one’s holding on,
What’s to stop me from dissolving too?
ñ
there is a reason and You won’t like it
what You need to understand is
that I am in pain
and You are the cause.
it’s jealousy and
it’s poisonous and debilitating,
but it’s mine
and You can’t have it.
You took the few things
I dared to want;
You are everything
I wanted, no, planned to be.
and even though You have it all,
You somehow still manage to take
all the “I” I have left
without even noticing I’m
in agony.
so please forgive me if
I can’t stand You.