pining for a lost reflection
I've gone and lost the moment again
it's not my fault
it's been stolen
ripped from my hands by racism and greed
serpent's tongues flickering
if it weren't for the past
the now wouldn't be hobbled
and the future would be assured
but nevertheless,
I've got one over them
secretive viper
I'll slither through
the loopholes they've missed
dodging all their clever traps
but it takes patience
and here I find it hard
I am not a serpent
my blood burns, and I hunger
I am not a serpent
and I hunger
It whispers patience
but without my sacrament
I can't hear its voice
and so I dream of the dream
which is so much more real
than shared reality.
someday soon,
I'll touch the poppy again.
someday soon.
until then,
I'll hoard what's left
and dream
of foggy memories.
A contest entry
- Dystopian Love Songs by Victory Gin.
724 points, ended October 21, 2008, 6 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - GREATEST CONTEST EVER! by Painted Nails.
800 points, ended November 3, 2008, 21 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Damaged Goods by nansie.
900 points, ended October 18, 2008, 12 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
-
Very well put! I enjoyed reading this poem! Best of luck in the contest and thank you for entering!
Sydney -
Sometimes, I do understand why people might want to numb themselves to the realities of the world- sometimes, a dream world is more rational, tolerable and inhabitable than the real one. But maybe, ultimately, the truth hits hard that it can never, ever be real... and then, what else matters?
Beautiful poem here. Keep up the good work!
-
-
But, see, that's precisely the thing. The whole point is that it's *not* just a "dream world", that it has absolutely nothing to do with "shielding oneself", and that it has been a source of very real healing for me.
I really don't mean offense by this, but you didn't understand the poem at all. Or, at least, you didn't/don't understand the emotions or the mindset involved.
Here's the real hard-hitting truth that most people refuse to accept or even consider: Drugs are tools, nothing less and nothing more. How you use them determines the results you'll get.
Let me put it this way. Take some fifteen year old kid who's never been behind the wheel before and knows nothing about cars except a.) they're fun and b.) they're dangerous. If you take this kid, give him the keys to an IROC, and turn him loose on the Interstate, what do you think is going to happen? And, moreover, who's at fault for the inevitable destruction -- Chevrolet?
A drug, like a car, is a tool. If you use it purposefully and responsibly, with knowledge and respect, its potential dangers can be significantly reduced or even eliminated, depending on the exact drug in question. If, on the other hand, you treat it like a toy, or a 'comfort food,' or otherwise misuse it, you're setting yourself up for trouble, just like you would if you were screwing around behind the wheel. Yet the very same people who'd say it's ludicrous to blame the car itself for the 15-year-old's accident would have no problem with blaming the drug itself if the same kid overdosed on OxyContin. Nevermind that the situation is fundamentally identical -- the kid is doing something he has no legal business doing, with absolutely no real understanding or comprehension of what he's doing, and no experience or knowledge whatsoever to guide him in the attempt except perhaps for scraps of "guidance" from equally ignorant and foolhardy peers. No matter what, that's a recipe for disaster.
The basic problem is that abstinence-only education plain doesn't work, whether it's about sex or about drugs or whatever. It just makes the problem worse. People who are aware that there are ways to use drugs that are safer and won't get them hooked, or that mitigate the negative consequences of being hooked, use that information. Nobody tortures themselves when they know a better way to go unless they have much bigger problems than the drug use. Unfortunately, our current system doesn't even teach that there is such a thing as "drug use" versus "drug abuse". Without access to that concept, their chances of developing a safe and responsible method of use without guidance are basically nil. That's precisely why there's so much drug abuse and bad behavior related to drugs -- because nobody is ever taught how to do it right, just how to do it wrong!
Poppy has never numbed me, not emotionally in general, nor to the realities of the world. Quite the opposite, when I descended into depressive psychosis, she and Mary Jane, long story short... well, they didn't heal me so much as they gave me what I needed to be able to heal myself. They grounded me, centered me, and gave me a sense of emotional equilibrium that allowed me to approach issues, conflicts, and expectations which had once utterly overwhelmed me. Now that I'm healthier again, Poppy deepens emotion and personal connections rather than dulling them. And far from veiling unpleasant truths, Poppy gives one the strength and fortitude to face them openly and honestly. Provided, that is, that one treats it as a tool rather than a toy or emotional crutch.
In writing poems like this, I'm trying to express my true life experiences with these drugs, and to reveal what their true potential is when they're used purposefully and knowledgeably. Obviously I'm failing to communicate that deeper level of understanding, though. Oh well...
Thank you for your comment. -
-
Hey hey...I think you kinda got the idea that my stance is drugs are wrong, and that's it- but no..I never meant it that way and I never said that.! I get your point about the kid-in-a-car-accident and kid-dying-from-overdose... but what I'm saying here is that people (not you..) in general use drugs as a form of escape from reality- ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, heroin- and I'm not in any way refuting your point that poppy "has been a source of very real healing" for you. Drugs that have medicinal value ARE good- they relieve pain and treat illnesses and all... but yeah, just felt you came on a little too strongly there that's all.
-
-
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come across as lecturing you or anything. It's just an important topic to me because they have helped me, and other people I know, a lot, and it frustrates me so much that so many other people think the problem is with the drug, not with how people *use* the drug. My apologies for drowning you in verbiage.
(Sorry this is so late, too... I haven't had computer access and didn't see your reply.)
-
-
No worries, I get you totally.. Chill 'kay... Everything's gonna be all right in the end.
Just thought I'd share this quote with you (saw it right here on AP)-
"Everything will be all right in the end.
If things aren't, then it isn't the end yet."
Cheers and all the best to you yeah. . X)
-
-
-
-
-
"serpent's tongues flickering"
-That was my favorite line.
I interpreted this in a lot of ways.
Maybe you should write something in your author's notes to give other people a clue to what you're writing about :]
Thank you for entering ♥
~Princess of Shadows~ -
-
I did mention what I was writing about at the end, but maybe it's a bit too subtle. "Touch the poppy" -- opiates.
-
-
I know that.
But I did have some of my friends read this and they had no idea what you were writing about.
I was just trying to help. -
-
I know, thank you.
But, er... why did you remove it from the contest? Did I break a rule, or something?
-
-
-
Adding your comment:
1 - 10 of 10
