they were born that way,
dreaming of howling
before they clawed out of my chest.
It may not be wise,
but it’s less painful
than seeing them
crawling beneath my skin
when I look in the mirror.
crawling beneath my skin
when I look in the mirror.
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
Song Choice: Shout covered by Think Up Anger
Liner Notes for This Groove: This poem was created for the Friday Writings prompt at Poets and Storytellers United. "To Speak Up or Stay Quiet?"
Wow! I absolutely love this. And what a great answer to the question.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteTeeth crawling under skin -- YIKES, what an image!
ReplyDeleteLOL, I was going for super creepy, so I'm glad I nailed it!
DeleteWell done. Nice imagery used here, something that I struggle with writing sometimes.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to know sometimes! Not that all my writing is therapy (LOL I can focus on journaling if I want to do that), but we always bring a part of us to our writing. And I can definitely feel the conflict between "wait... that might be a bit much" and "a bit much is exactly what this piece needs".
DeleteIt may not be wise,
ReplyDeletebut it’s less painful - yes, true...a hundred times, true.
Yes, and there's only so much pain I'm willing to take on in the name of fake peace.
DeleteWhat a swift and powerful poem which raises the question wonderfully - Jae
ReplyDeleteThank you Jae
DeleteWow what a powerful beautiful poem
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your kind words Marja
DeleteBold and powerful imagery. Words can bite, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteAnd some word wielders bite like Cerebus on a bad day.
DeleteOK. That's it. The last time I look in the mirror.
ReplyDeleteBwahahahahahaha... fair enough
DeleteHmmm...This could be a cultural issue. In certain cultures howling words are discouraged with a strong emphasis on restraint. ...Rall
ReplyDeleteRepressed words will come out as something stronger and potentially nasty, no matter what culture you are from. Keeping silent to preserve some idea of faked peace helps no one, and usually leads to much worse anguish for someone else down the line. There is something to be said for having those awkward conversations early on, when heads are likely to be cooler and the rhetoric less heated. But (and this goes ten times for situations where people are being harmed) I'd rather be thought the rudest bitch in the world than deal with the shame of keeping silent.
DeleteYes I agree....I prefer a rude bitch to a captious one !.....Rall
ReplyDeleteLOL, fair enough. Though I can recall many times where petty was the offspring of entirely justifiable annoyance and weariness, having to explain yet again why it is preferable to not cause undue harm to others.
DeleteShort and powerful! "To speak up or stay quiet?" that is the question, indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd the answer is some variation "whatever we can bear to live with".
DeleteThat's a real imagery of pent up anger , so vividly portrayed. Amazing
ReplyDelete