Aokigahara

A poem for the "suicide forest". I know the subject matter is disturbing, but I felt that I had to share this piece.

                               

Aokigahara 

 I've been walking through  the darkest forest

 For what feels like centuries  now.

 Every time I feel some kind  of atmosphere

 I stop and take it in.

 All I end up doing is corrupting it. 

 And it slips pass the threshold,

 All or nothing. 

 Once again.

 But the hollow woods have many secrets

 And the fog sticks close to the ground, 

 Serial killers morph into midnight shadows

 Lingering in your afterthoughts 

 Hiding underneath the dead leaves. 

 October has brought on Rigor Mortis 

 Barren branches contort to form hooks

 Catching ravens by the wings, 

 Sending them hurdling to the ground. 

 As thousands have done before. 

 I have came across bones on this soil

 Noose all strung on the trunks 

 Captivating the presence of their soul's

 Bounding them to their death bed. 

 Those who are lost are wanderers.

 Walking thorough the darkest forest,

 For what feels like centuries...

Author's Note

Reviews

[L. Edward Neale]

Interesting poem. Is that the famous suicide forrest near Mt Fuji? Theres a similar place in Nikko, Japan too. A friend of mine went to Kegon Falls in Nikko and took a photo and when the film was developed it showed the falls shilouetted by a skull face. I thought he had it photoshopped but he swears it wasn't. Creepy stuff if it was for real. Some places are cursed thats for sure.

[Shauna Jacqueline Ander..]

I'm guessing [through the repition of the last lines - makes them seem more important] Guessing that the dead are trapped in the forest. Sort of like during Silent Hill where it's the same place but an alternate version for the dead..
Always enjoy your work.

[Lily Mae]

This took me to deep dark places..that no one see's.. Too many in this world feel the angst of letting go.. You took a deep dark topic and penned it well..x I think the picture shows exactly what you are trying to say..x

[Anathema]

Wow man, this is an awesome poem... Made me look up what Aokigahara is!

[♪The Girl Next Do..]

So sad...very deep. I love it. The music again helps me to understand further. Fantastic poem.

[Tate Morgan]

I cant imagine being a parent and being responsible for having a child that would rather die than stay here and live a beautiful life.What a waste what a terrible waste.I would forever feel my soul was worthless if a child did this to me

[Legolas]

Hey! Watch what you say buddy! Kids cant help if they feel suicidal. Maybe its caused by something called depression. Ever heard of it? It is the worst thing ever. I cant believe you... responsible???? They are your children!! You are so selfish, only thinking of the hurt it would cause you instead of seeing how much hurt the person is in. Serioulsy man, I cant believe you.I may come across as harsh and I am. Watch what you say. Your comment seriously offeneded me and Im sure it has offeneded other people as well. Grow up. Really.

[Tate Morgan]

I think you misunderstand me I think as a parent who just went through this My son in law killed himself 3 months ago I can say a parent feels responsible and negligent we all do we think it is our fault

[Legolas]

Still. You said you wouldnt want to be responsible for someone like that. That means you just want to walk away. It also means that the child is a burden to you.

[Tate Morgan]

The best minds will tell you that when a man has begotten a child he is morally bound to tenderly care for it, protect it from hurt, shield it from disease, clothe it, feed it, bear with its waywardness, lay no hand upon it save in kindness and for its own good, and never in any case inflict upon it a wanton cruelty. To a parent a child is a sacred trust and to have him kill himself is considered by us as our ultimate failure to protect them .I dont blame the child I blame myself

[Tate Morgan]

You dont know me very well obviously My children are my treasure on earth stamped in the mint of memory they are coin of the realm to me.They are what gives us meaning the day one is born a man knows why he is here.While I tie children to the past going back to antiquity .They carry us into the future granting us immortality.Each of us is a link in a unbroken chain of life stretching back 40,000 generations at least .When one kills themselves before passing that gift they destroy all that was before them .With you go the hopes and dreams of not just me but all who struggled lived and died to make our childrens lives possible .That is why the parent feels responsible for the child

[Tate Morgan]

I think you just misunderstand what i am trying to relay to you from a parents point of view.When A child dies from suicide the parent is left thinking they are responsible It is what happens whether we like it or not.

[Muse]

I'm guessing the bunny does not have any children of their own? If my child was to take her own life...I would feel damned for life. Always wondering...what did I do...or what did I not do to cause the child such misery and grief. It's only natural to feel responsible for your child's misgivings...to not feel any other way would be unnatural.

[Dean Kuch®]

"Teach your children well, their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams, the one they picked, the one you're known byDon't you ever ask them why, if they told you you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you."...." Crosby, Stills Nash & Young. I agree with Tate!

[Tate Morgan]

Today we go to the in laws house to set in stone the trust that will insure his daughter makes it through college,I tell you three months later and I still dont relish this .The pain in that home is intense reminders of what they lost are everywhere.I would rather have bamboo shoots run under my fingernails than go there today .Sorrow is their only friend now

[Muse]

Exactly...the guilt will always be a burden on your family. They may have...and probably had "nothing" to do with his depression. But it doesn't change the fact that they will forever question EVERYTHING. He left with a serious amount of unfinished business.

[Tate Morgan]

Yes he did and i wont go into it but we have forever been changed here forever.How do you tell a child that her father was such a great man but chose to die .? I for one see it as a mental problem best left to the doctors

[Muse]

The child will wonder why "she" was not worth living for.....

:(

[Tate Morgan]

I hope that doesn't happen But I do think it is a real possibility.I think I see that in her mother who worries that her father left her and now her husband I do hope I can fix these things

[Anathema]

Hey Tate, sorry to hear of your loss. I was kind of averse to your initial comment too. It's not your fault, nor is it anyone's fault that they somehow didn't do enough to prevent someone from taking their own life. It's rarely anyone's fault period, and the only way that could be the case if you had done something incredibly cruel to that person. I think in the vast majority of these events, people are facing tremendous difficulties that you could not possibly remedy for them. I encourage you to think about a few things as you work through this. First, the whole situation is very tragic and sad, but the saddest part is that your son-in-law was living with demons that he felt he could not shake, not necessarily that he ended his life as a result. I know you must miss him terribly, but try to imagine the pain he must have been going through and try not to think of it as different from someone in tremendous physical agony just because it is harder to understand. A second thought, I beg you not to think of the life of your son-in-law (or that of anyone else you might know who died this way) as anything even approaching a waste. I know it's hard not to think of what could have been, but try to think of the value of his life to that point. That value is NOT IN ANY WAY DIMINISHED by the way his life ended!! Each of our lives are finite; they will all come to an end. Try not to blame yourself, try to focus on the value of the life that you miss, and don't blame yourself! Love and support him in death just as you'd love and support him in life. My heart aches for you!

[Legolas]

Thank you Anathema!!!!

[Tate Morgan]

The way i see it many say it is a cowardly thing to leave behind a child only 18 months a devastated family and my daughter.But to me I say .They who say this dont know demions well.It takes great courage to shoot oneself in the head.While many talk of suicide and are really crying out for help.Not many have the courage to pull the trigger.How much pain would a person need to endure before shooting themselves was considered preferable to life ? Especially at 32 and healthy.He had what on the outside seemed to many of us a idealic life a great job a beautiful wife and home .And the ultimate gift a child.But what we failed to see were the underlying effects of alcohol on the mind of a stressed man.it was that I think that finished what stress began and sadly ended what was seen by us as a beautiful life.i for one thought the world of him. But his parents are suffering way beyond my pain.His mother then had to bury her father within a week of his passing dead of a broken heart.

[Pax]

dark and frightening. great work

[Corset]

It's disturbing how there is actually some where people go to give up, like an elephant graveyard, to die amidst such beauty is unthinkable, how do the trees not inspire the necessary beauty appreciation to give hope, to be there and not see, blind to it's magnificence and wonder. I don't know , but this is a profound and frightening write, excellent work.

[Robbie~xoxo~]

"October has brought on Rigor Mortis
Barren branches contort to form hooks
Catching ravens by the wings,
Sending them hurdling to the ground."~ This stanza is magnificent...it showcases your talent for a dark and dramatic imagery. The depth of this piece is amazing! Excellent write!

[Olivia Marie]

I enjoyed reading it, awesome poem. :) Loved the diction, and imagery. Lovely. :)

[Laura Maidah]

OKay, I wrote another long review. It got deleted. I'll be back on my Mac if i remember. Sorry.

[Cole Hayley]

hahahah its no problem Maidahl! happens to me too !