Reckless?
You bet he’s reckless.
It’s in his nature, the very beat
Pumping out of his heart
There are things now that I must share
With a whisper, quietly now, move in close
He’s a cripple.
But only his body is cracked
His spirit reigns strong
Just one shaky, off balanced body
Mingling in self battle
He wants his life
He wants to use his skills
Of carpentry and tools
As he robotically lifts his glass
Swallowing the pills
Like skittles into the pink well of his mouth
A Childs mouth, a restless tongue
He was dark with sullenness
As he lit his cancerous candle
He now pretends to smoke
He crinkled his eyes
Against the smoke
When the cigarette exhaled into ash
Falling from where he leaned
Against the door frame to the floor
Missing his body with grace
He stared, eyes clouded over
With all the disease
I watched him walk
Out into the night
Viewing the constellations
Of second chances
Wishing, just wishing hard
With raw, tearless sobs
I could detect his smell
Near me
The marlboro cigarettes
Box top, full flavor
Red
The coffee with one sugar
Fresh cut wood
And something green
The smell I’d remember
Him by
I could taste what
One day would be lost
And it was in that moment
That I realized this years
There is nothing more
Excruciating, more terrifying
Then the idea of
Turning away from him
Like so many before me
It’s an impossibility
Of mine
As he keeps his secret
Close to him
Like a poker hand
Thinking no one knows
Thinking, just thinking
As the slump of his shoulders
Roll down to reveal his truths
Cane in one hand, as he wobbles down the hall
Maybe he'd tell you. Maybe
If he knew you wouldn't laugh
If he knew you wouldn't pitty
If he could get it out once
Without a slurred stutter,
You wouldn't need repeated
- People with Disabilities group list • next in list
A contest entry
- Want some points? Philosophy, God, whatever you want... by magneticblue.
1400 points, ended July 24, 2008, 25 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Don't You, Forget About Me by Poetic Obscenity.
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Comments
1 - 8 of 8
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Excellent Poem
Very intriguing, very moving
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VERY good. I loved this stanza;
"He was dark with sullenness
As he lit his cancerous candle
He now pretends to smoke
He crinkled his eyes
Against the smoke
When the cigarette exhaled into ash
Falling from where he leaned
Against the door frame to the floor
Missing his body with grace
He stared, eyes clouded over
With all the disease"
I was having flashbacks of my late husband. He smoked marlboros and you seemed to be describing him; his smells, the way he acted and the way he looked. It is uncanny!
An amazing write. I am blown away. It really seduced all of the senses. -
WOW! I love it!! That's probably one of the best poems i've read here today. It's very up lifting to say the least. =]
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my favorite person!
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aww wow...this is very powerful and just amazing to read, please write more.lol. *hugs*
i enjoyed this ever so much and good luck in the contest
Stephanie ♥
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Very poetic and emotionally engaging. You do a good job of making this both sound like a person talking and making it very obvious that this is a piece of art. Thank you for entering and good luck.
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What a hard thing to go through...for him and for you! I am glad that he has you to stay close to him...to honor him as you done here in your writing.
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Parkenson's Disease is such a cruel and crippling disease. My grandmother in-law suffered from it for many years and watching her shake made me feel so helpless inside knowing there was nothing I could do to help. I am sorry for your father's pain and for yours. I will be praying for you both. Thanks for sharing this heartfelt write. Have a wonderful and blessed day.
Theresa
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