STAINED SHIRT

past and future: dual beliefs

 y

Black rain descends upon my frail shoulders

envelops me in haunting shadows

traps me in a universe of darkness

I turn to drink, whole bottle, sickly

onyx droplets flow from blood red eyes

ghosts of the past and future considerations

obstruct my clear thinking

others share what is to come

I quiver to imagine being alone

 

Already my life seems broken

torn in directions

stress consumes me

it touches every organ

I shall rest my head on a pillow to ease

so many notions at once

two elderly souls with distinct outlooks

on life and  death

pain on the rain-soaked shirt

we keep until

our faces are smothered in ash

Author's Note

photo by occutopia.com
Thank you for reading!

Reviews

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

a very dark mood, fitting for winter. i sit here in my cold apartment drinking in this gloomy atmosphere. yet there are so many literary qualities in this piece, it is hard not to like it. the first and last lines really stayed with me. black rain, frail shoulders. ash on one's face. such a powerful images. a picture of depression captured in vivid, expertly drawn lines.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you ERN for an amazing thoughtful review; you really dug in and related to it so well....BRAVO!
Warmly, B

[Lorry]

This reminds me of (excuse me for showing my age) MySpace and all the photo challenges on writing groups that they were very popular, especially the weekend challenges, but then Facebook came along and wiped it'd feet on MySpace and sadly, here we are now.
I sometimes wonder if MySpace had won, would we still be the same, as I do remember people updating pics, but not to the compulsive lengths they go to now and weren't we happier back in the day no one had a clue what a social media influencer was? (I still have no clue, nor want to!)
It was the best to freewrite to and I still miss it.
Thank you for making me sigh on a wet Sunday morning, for something that will never be again.... plus giving me another reason to pfft! at Facebook.... PFFT!
😃

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Lorry for your very truthful and thoughtful review...and I hate FB as well!
Warmly, B

[John the Baptist]

I sincerely hope this one is not autobiographical. I mean, whole bottle? I haven't seen words like this since I worked in the Emergency Services Crisis Unit.

[Betty Hermelee]

thank you my friend, i am feeling much better
a bit of an exaggeration…..after all, this is poetry
Happy Holidays🌷🌷🎄