Empty

Cold

Biting cold

Flowing through you as you stand at the precipice of the void

Staring down at that black hole of energy

Where motivation, dreams and life go to die

As you freeze, you’re left yearning, grasping for

 

Warmth

Phantom warmth

Can you even remember that sensation?

The mere concept is fading, seems so far away

You clutch that abstract concept, given form as it’s dragged towards the void

You seek substance, it should have it, yet you find that it’s only

 

Hollow

Oh, so hollow

You try to let go of it, unsatisfied, disappointed

But as wholeness eludes you, you’ve become attracted to its opposite

Unable to let it go, you accept it, absorb it, become it

You despair but soon are unable to as from you leaves all

 

Feeling

What’s this feeling?

The new lack thereof interests you

You’re no longer cold, no longer yearning, no longer despairing, and no longer you

But you are you, wholly you, ironically, hollow as you are

You look down again into the void, expecting nothing but the darkness, but see

 

Yourself

Yes, yourself

Staring, waving, shouting something inaudible

Throwing concepts, faces, feelings, memories at you

The void is too deep for them to reach you at the edge

And ultimately what you gain from this doppelganger is

 

Nothing

Absolutely nothing

You turn your head and begin to walk away from the precipice

Before you’re too far, you look back, curious to see if you are still in the void

Curious to see if you still beckon, wanting to see yourself one last time

But, when you stare back down into the void, you find that it’s

 

Empty

Reviews

[R.E. Ray]

Despite your last word, "Empty," your poem left a stinging impression; a feeling of pain and despair, at least until "you turn your head and begin to walk away." Then, I felt a sense of "hope," a reason to turn away.

I believe this poem speaks to many of us, at least at some time in our life. You've captured the raw emotions so well here, and you leave the reading with a good summation of emotional journey we often take during times of personal crisis. Nice work.