No star twinkles,
no moon beams
in the night of the soul.
No melody plays in the vacuous halls
but those ominous tune that rattles bones.
Through a veil, eyes see
flowers wilting and leaves
falling,
falling,
falling.
All that beauty gone
gone to nothing.
Nothing.
There is nothing
except the burden of minutes
ticking behind some brittle laughter.
The soul groans beneath this cross
that offers no resurrection.
Darkness breathes
and away the spirit flees
to seek its star,
cutting off its anchors.
~~~~~
For DVerse’s Meeting the Bar – Via Negativa.
I guess, most of us are reeling from the recent sad and unfortunate news about two prominent persons. NO one will ever know the depths of despair or sorrow that they went through but their passing made me revisit, through this poem, that time long a when I felt so depressed and despairing (a period which, thank God, did not last).
Very ominous description in these lines: “There is nothing
except the burden of minutes
ticking behind some brittle laughter.”
Thanks, Frank. 🙂
Deeply moving and poignant. The image gives me a sense of layers and not quite being able to get through them, to find the ground, the place of clarity and light.
Thanks, Arati, for the feedback on both poem and picture. I especially appreciate the latter because I was not sure if the picture would be appropriate for the poem but I was desperate to have a photo with the post so I posted this picture anyway. 🙂
My pleasure for sure.
Emotional and moving poem, Imelda. ‘burden of minutes’ is such a haunting line. For so many of us, minutes just tick by like that. But for those of us who are in a dark place, those minutes can seem like an eternity. Sad news over this past week. Really sad that some of us can’t see the light… It’s a reminder for us to appreciate the ones we have around us and show some love whenever we can ❤
Thanks, Mabel.
What you say is true. It is hard to imagine the trial and darkness some people go through and are unable to get out of. May there be a way to effectively address this issue sooner than later.
A powerful write! Depression is a painful “via negativa” but there’s always hope the shroud will lift.
Thanks, Lynn. True, the presence of hope increases a person’s chance to escape the darkness.
The burden of minutes – deeply accurate, as is your whoe poem.
Thanks, Jilly.
Yes the burden of minutes… wonderful and heavy.
Thanks, Bjorn.
Touching lines
Thanks. 🙂
Oh my, perfection. Love every stanza.
Thank you, Sabra. 🙂
Lovely gift to both of them.
Thanks. 🙂
You have described that darkness so well, torment for those who experience it.
Thanks for the feedback, Sherry. It was torture to be in such a place.
A tribute in a way to depression. I’ve been there too. I feel for those who can find no hope.
True. Hope holds life together and when it is gone, life gets truly dark. Thanks for coming by, Sarah.
Emotional and powerful words, Imelda. I’m glad you got through it. A fitting tribute to the sad losses this week.
Some people hide their despair to the outside world very well.
very emotional!
Thanks. 🙂
“Darkness breathes
and away the spirit flees
to seek its star,
cutting off its anchors.”….this is so beautiful 🌸💕💕
Thanks. 🙂
✌🌸