He Hides From Himself

He hides his baleful expression behind his hands,
He doesn't dare show it to these monsters in the room.
He doesn't dare.
The monsters skid their claws along countertops and floorboards.
All the while he hides behind his hands.
He can remember a time from before,
When he was supercilious.
When he was the precipice.
Now he hides behind his hands.

The bane of it now is that he hides from the monsters in the room,
He hides from their fastidious gnawing of bones.
Hides from his own reflection of the mirror that hangs strategically above the bar where the patrons can't hide from view.
But he finds a way to hide from himself.

The monsters gesticulate their limbs,
Some from losing a game of poker,
Some from losing their heads.
He doesn't dare look at the monsters,
He doesn't dare.
He continues to hide behind his hands.

He hides from his fake demure attitude,
He knows it's just a ruse to fool others.
Though the monsters raise their eyebrows,
As if to say 'we know what you really are'
But he hides from that too.
The monsters give him more time,
So he can arrest his thoughts and stop hiding behind his hands.
All the monsters have are time after all.

He hides his face behind his hands,
Remembering when he was the wonderous,
When he wasn't this.
The monsters smile, teeth and fangs gleaming in the iridescent light,
Calling him closer.
His stomach churns in disgust.

He's still hiding his face behind his hands,
Hiding from the monsters in the room,
From the bartender who stopped serving him whiskey shots not much longer then an hour before,
From the mirror that shows him as he is,
He hides from himself.

Reviews

[Monique]

OMG, powerful stuff

[fireblossom]

I like to revisit certain poems. I read this two months ago. I like it even better now. The tone you set is powerful. The scene you set is frightening in a psychotic way. This shows a really good writer at work.

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

It unfolds like pliot lines of the dark pictures one sees in the movies, a telling tale, well done, good read.

[Cascara (aka Sprint Goe..]

I can really relate to this dark piece...

nice pic too

[patricia]

when the whiskey stopped flowing the scales fell.
You bring out what seems the darker side here, but on reflection is a vulnerable hurting human being, who projects his self hatred on to those around him. A great poem. Thankyou.

[Senseless whatever]

Interesting write. I like the repetition and overall push. The feelings of fear and loss of self come through clearly. While the setting is in a bar, after a second reading I found a lot more there. the bar or location become more of a metaphor and the hiding behind his hands may not be a physical hiding so much as a hiding behind some other talent afraid to be see for what he is.

[Birdman313]

wow how this tells how you can hide behind your hands ....

[Alana McGuire]

Wow, this is really, reall captivating. I like the idea you've showed in this and the repetition of the hiding behind his hands to escape himself and what he has become. I would love to hear the inspiration behind this. :)