Demons Riding my Shoulder

Sometimes they are in your head....

Demons Ride my Shoulders

It's my last night in Sodom

the land of John Homes and Jenna Jaimison

The Harbor City and the Valley of skin

Are kissing cousins

Gravity pulls me toward the sewer

I skip down filthy streets

I live with the homeless and insane

For they are my five year water mark

The only thing that changed are my prayers

They have gotten more violent

like demands

I sometimes scream at the lord

or maybe I scream at myself

I put the saddle on my shoulders

and prepare for the extra weight

for the Demons ride my shoulders

down the busway

off into madness

Author's Note

torment.....

Reviews

[audrie]

I use to work in a homeless shelter and it was difficult seeing the deadened eyes of so many people. The place that I worked at had a messaging service for employers to call them back for job interviews, food, clothing and shelter, however, there were only 32 beds and way more homeless people than we could care for. People shouldn't have to live on the streets. More times than not the people had a history of drug abuse and there were very few resources within the community to help rehabilitate them. So, oncwe the person gained some stability - maybe got clean for a couple of weeks - due to the lack of resources they would relapse and either get put back into the systen or go to the streets once again. It was a really depressing job and I was constantly bothered by the way homelessness was dealt with and the lack of attention that the city would give to the homeless. Seeing that the majority of the people had substance abuse problems, I decided to take a job in substance abuse recovery field to try and get a little closer to the source of the problem. This is just a national crisis that dowesn't get much attention and it deeply saddens me. Liked thje subject mtterof this piece. . . very well written.a

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

You've gone to some seriously dark corners here. This one gave me chills.
Your penmanship shakes the soul.

[Glen Yumang Manese]

Here you grab my attention...in the lines here:

The only thing that changed are my prayers
They have gotten more violent
like demands
I sometimes scream at the lord
or maybe I scream at myself

and then you pick up the pieces and go wherever life takes you...with your burden of truth...

[Everett DeValle]

Gritty...I Love it...has an impact that hits hard...Gonzo esque. Dig it.

[roarke]

really good, thought connected poem. Harsh and visceral, but really good.

[Myenigma]

I like this one,
"It's my last night in Sodom"
you leave sodom to only find yourself in what seems worse conditions, the sewers
frustration with God and oneself,
the ending is surprising, not that demons are fat and heavy because they are really fuken fat
but this part
"down the busway
off into madness"
have you returned back to sodom?:P

[Poetic Beauty]

Sin is sin and many times we struggle with knowing the magnitudes of sins we are doing. That leads to torturing ourselves from within. Everyone has their own demons and struggles with them. I love the details in this piece and the above is what came to mind after reading this poem. Raw and to the point.

[Easterlily]

Wow....Intense-emotions....I-commend-you-on-the-the-honesty-you-let-come-through-your-anger...a-lot-to-absorb-in-few-words-but-very-relatable-and-quietly-understood...Kudos....