grey thoughts 1

i see myself reflected in the eye
of a greying whale on the beach

suffocate and lie
suffer fate and die

everyone seems sorry in the end

you've never seen a malignant epitaph
so how does it feel to know that
more dignity is given the dead
than we ever give the living?

how does it feel to know
that you can honestly call yourself a liar?

how does it feel to feel
a feeling that ain't regret?

Reviews

[Toni Prehoda Kahler]

This piece was difficult for me to read, for a couple reasons. Mostly because it made me remember regrets, but also the intro image of the whale, as metaphor, got to me, and intensified with the next couple (inset) lines.

I struggled to understand this piece. I do hate that habit we have of honoring those we love and respect after they are in the ground. I wonder what "malignant epitaph" really means? The questions you pose seem wrapped in mystery.
I don't know why this piece has caught me this way! I'm just trying to understand the "liar" part - it does feel good to be honest with one's self. As I read those last lines, I get a little aha thought, like perhaps that's where the crux of this piece resides. If one doesn't know, then one has lived a life full of regrets, lived lies, and somehow that sends me back toward the first line, where you see yourself reflected in the eye of a dead whale.
I liked the little struggle I had with this - and I renewed my determination to live in the moment, always.