The Meaning of Bleeding

Be prepared for some weird structural changes throughout. Just warning you. :)

The heart.

It beats.

The blood.

It flows.

A red river rushing

Beneath the skin.

Defined.

Contained.

No wounds.

No pain.

A body that houses

The passion within.

 

A form that is flawless,

The skin smooth and white.

These tender caresses,

So gentle, so light.

So perfect and beautiful,

Steadfast and fine.

So worthy of living,

So ready to die.

 

The scarlet river

Bursts its banks

With roaring screams of agony.

The tears of pain

And crimson rain

Combine in horrid harmony.

I watch you bleed,

Your passion freed

By wicked gashes in your flesh.

Your heart unfolds,

Your love now told,

For sacrifice is sweetest fresh.

 

You arch

Your back.

Your hands

Are pierced.

You’re tortured and beaten,

Yet still you remain.

A fool.

A friend.

A selfless end,

Compassionate spirit

Embracing the pain.

 

Your body, so perfect,

Now bloodied and marred.

Although you may heal,

E’er will you bear scars.

Yet greater is sorrow

And sacrifice borne

By those on whose bodies

No blemish will form.

 

I cannot stand

To see your face

Or hear the whip upon your back.

I meet your eyes,

And I despise

The foolish loyalty I lack.

With courage true,

So much of you

Comes pouring out so willingly.

Such horrid pain -

I can’t explain

The sacrifice you make for me.

 

Someday

Will you tell me why you did this?

Will you face the mirror with regret,

Gazing at the scars upon your skin

And in your mind?

Will you teach me how to love the way you do?

 

Such torment I can’t fathom,

But perhaps someday I’ll understand

The meaning

Of bleeding

For you.

Author's Note

I know the structure and rhythm are all over the place... I know the rhyming isn't consistent... I know those things may seem irritating... but please tell me what you thought about the poem itself.

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

i disagree with your note ..it flows easily .. and the only place i found that i wanted the lines to rhyme were lines 6 and 8 in the second verse ..probably because the cadence is strong and the preceding lines do rhyme .. i think this:
"Yet greater is sorrow And sacrifice borne
By those on whose bodies
No blemish will form."

brilliant i say ..simply brilliant!

for me (because of my faith) Jesus Christ is the thread running throughout .. and His sacrifice .. and i find it so intriguing because His body would have scarred had it not been for His miraculous .. Resurrection
i think your lines would be stronger over all if you did not capitalize each one regardless of syntax ... i think as long as you are using punctuation keeping a quasi sentence structure makes more sense ...
i would call this free form ..i think it is wonderful ..i like the humility of the speaker and where your poem takes me ...feels very comfortable for me
E.

[AliciaB]

Thank you very much! Those lines were hard for me... I tried as best I could to near-rhyme it as closely as possible, but you know - it can't always be perfect. :) I appreciate the comments!

[GalaxyGhost]

Whoa, I can feel the blood under my skin rushing through my body and it's freaking me out. I love the description of bleeding you use in the poem. It's also sad and I felt that. If something made me feel and/or think, it's a keeper.

[AliciaB]

Thank you very much! Glad I could get a bit under your skin (haha, I know, my jokes are terrible) with this poem. :)

[GalaxyGhost]

Oh, you're fine! I genuinely laughed at that joke if it helps.

[AliciaB]

Aw thanks. :)

[Raylene]

I like this for its darkness I can look over Thule rhyming issue though poetry does not have to rhyme this poem was very meaningful to see a person you love essence destroyed yet you did great work dear

[AliciaB]

Thank you!

[Raylene]

Anytime dear

[Shabeeh Haider]

Alicia, I read this poem, then read it again and then for a third time. I'm crazy about rhyme and meter but having said that there is such a sweet flow to this poem.
I don't know how you managed to do it. It is truly amazing.
About the thoughts that this poem portrays. It left me in deep thought.
Sacrifice is something that can never be completely understood. The highest form of sacrifice is putting your life on the line.
Some do it for religion, some do it for their country, some do it for love. It all comes down to ones belief.
The supreme sacrifice was offered by Jesus and if one bears torture or even death for the betterment of the people they love, then they are one pedestal above all of us.
This is just one aspect of your poem. There is so much else that can be said but that would take a long time.
It should be enough that this poem stands at par with some of the best

[AliciaB]

Thank you so much! I am honored by your comments.

[LastMonth]

Bloody.
Comparing blood to love is both intelligent and unique. Mostly because it does stem from the heart afterall. It sometimes feels like there are two hearts, there is the organ, a meaty entity that is essential to our existance, and there is the abstract piece of us, our emotional core, that is equally vital to living.

In this poem you detailed loss, brutality and love. But you didn't seperate them. In this poem they are one and the same. And that is both beautiful and terrifying.

Thank you.

[AliciaB]

Thank you! I agree about the heart idea - it's quite interesting to think about, especially being the biology nerd that I am. :) "Beautiful and terrifying"... that is one of the best and most unique compliments I have ever received. I appreciate it!

[teamsnow]

The meaning is understandable, although like you said the structure is all over the place.

[AliciaB]

Haha thanks. Yeah, that just kind of happened.

[Dynafox]

of course I think it's great Ms. B. I like the whole aspect of finding beauty in pain, something I feel some times while driving how if I went over the line one time how beautifully chaotic a crash would be with an oncoming vehicle. So I completely relate to beauty in pain. I also like how she is happily draining herself for someone else. really like this one.

[AliciaB]

Thank you!