Black Cloak

I twist and weave fibers

Made of my own sinews,

I zigzag stitches that go

Around, and then, unseen,

On the wrong side continue.

Light does not penetrate this

Thick robe, and Truth, being

Patient and wise, does not probe.

No, She waits and watches as

I stitch, unstitch, bend, and

With mournful eyes, She smiles

At my foolishness as I pretend.

My cloak and hood are

Nearly complete, and when

I stand black as the night

Covered from head to feet,

I’ll have complete victory, and

Total defeat.

 

Reviews

[John F]

I twist and weave fibers
Made of my own sinews,
I zigzag stitches that go
Around, and then, unseen

I love that opening. Magnificent imagery. There is a sense of sacrifice unseen in the description and then a generous outpouring of words follows. Wonderful poetry

[Vol]

Laz,
Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Sounds like you've figured that out...
Vol

[Terry Collett]

A well woven poem. Enjoyed reading.

[Costa Siwale]

Wow! I enjoyed this unfolding adventure! captivating piece

[fallen.angel.]

This poem is like a cozy little journey of someone making their own shield—except, oops, it might be a bit more of a trap than a fortress! The imagery of stitching together a cloak from your own strength is so vivid and relatable. It’s like you're trying to wrap yourself in something that feels safe, but the more you do, the more you realise it might be keeping you from what you really need. The part where Truth just watches patiently is kind of sweet, like a friend who’s just letting you figure things out at your own pace. And the ending, with both "victory" and "defeat," is such a nice little twist, showing how sometimes we get exactly what we want... but it’s not always what we expect! So relatable, and a really fun read.

[John the Baptist]

We do what we think we must and tell ourselves it is the truth. But truth can't be appropriated and sometimes it just watches, unseen, as we weave our garments of falsehood. And when truth finally reveals itself, the results can be unpleasant.

[MCS]

The layers and images are profound the reader is faced with their own fears and challenges of how to maneuver through their own baggage. Bravo!

[K. Louis]

The imagery in this is vivid and haunting. The image of stitching and unstitching the cloak is a powerful metaphor for the way people can construct and reconstruct their own identities.

[Davidgeo]

This is good stuff. You describe the mask we create for ourselves very well. While we all do this, some of us are forced to do this a different way for one reason or another. Some ways are far more healthy/functional than others. And some people just get lucky and their life circumstances cater to their personality disorder. Most of us live the other way around, our neurosis has to cater to reality, which can be quite painful at first. Depending on how dysfunctional your baseline is of course.