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I –
I want –
want you to –
want
to just come –
come and hold this hand
for this –
for this cold time between
tired & asleep
that grows –
that grows
longer apart and deeper
awake than I can beat.
And I bet you
could –
you could
cut into
that
time
be-
fore
the
l
u
n
g
t
i
d
e
.
What initially struck me about the poem was the fragmentation of the speaker displayed not only through the frantic pacing, but the physical shape of the poem. It is as if that the speaker cannot fight that one single penetrating idea or thought that consumes the entire psyche, in this case the yearning for companionship. This idea, or virus, grows from nothing, but does not quite develop itself before dissolving back until there is nothing left but a single point, or final period. What got me the most was not the story or what happened to the speaker to force him into this situation, but the raw,visceral feeling of detachment and helplessness created throughout.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your poetry.
Matt C
Not so frantic. The speaker is falling to sleep - a lot of these all self-medicating lullabies by lonely souls to themselves. We need a little hope and calm to fall asleep:
Delete"I bet you could - you could cut into that time before the lu n g t i d e . . ."
The structure of the poem reminds me of when I am half asleep or half awake, slightly dreaming and slightly thinking. It feels as though the biggest stressors come out at night when there are no distractions besides the weight of your blanket. Every thought that you have been pushing aside the entire day comes out to keep you awake at night. Waking up in the middle of the night or having trouble falling asleep can be one of the most lonely experiences. There is no one there to put you to sleep and the sun is not out to solve the darkness. It is scary to have intrusive thoughts of what could come out of the darkness or what nightmares you could have once you fall back asleep. When I wake up from a nightmare, I wish I could have someone next to me to eliminate any fears I have. It is a crazy feeling to wake up and realize none of it was a reality. The reality of darkness and loneliness in front of you is almost even scarier than the nightmare itself. The ending of the poem brings some confusion because of the syntax of the sentence, similarly to how as one as falling asleep the thoughts become more disorganized and incomprehensible. In the morning, I tend to look back at how delusional I was being throughout the night. However, such intrusive thoughts appear for a reason. The time at night dedicated to rest tends to bring up what is causing one’s restlessness throughout the day.
ReplyDelete