Blind Eyes Staring

The blind man approaches at the call of the tree,

His arms and legs shaking from his cold aching bones

He places his shovel at the roots and he screams,

Sprawling out his skin from roots of his own

You see, this man tore soul away from life tonight

Ripped the smile away from a planted grave face

He was jealous in the reflection in this young man's eyes,

Jealous of the skin like porcelain vase

He was jealous of his hands, his working arms

Of the teeth that he never gritted once

Jealous of his mind, playing careful cards,

Pokerfaces hiding the intelligent dunce

He was jealous of his bravery, big and strong,

Like a mountain that could break through the wind

Envious he was, and envious he'd be,

Of the man that he tore out from within

So the blind man sits idly under the call of the tree,

His hands and ankles shaking from his cold aching bones

And with the shovel he carried, I bury me,

Turning a blind eye on the roots of my own.

Author's Note

Sometimes, you can be your own worst enemy.

Reviews

[DAH]

This is a complex poem with multiple levels of feeling and failure,
and you convey it beautifully. Yes, the enemy within is the one that
will bully us for eternity if we don't have a way to change up,
to move in a new direction of thought, but, then, we should not
believe everything that we think, either ...

Goo job!
DAH

[chrysantheranium]

Thank you kindly!

[DAH]

My pleasure!

[Neville]

complex but perfectly formed .. certainly one to ponder upon but my gut reflex was to enjoy it....

[chrysantheranium]

Thank you for your kind words, Nev! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[Neville]

You are more than welcome & yes, I did indeed..

[Kesch (Finding Julia)]

Wow, so emotional and so well written, i felt this write in my heart.

[chrysantheranium]

Thank you dearly!

[Laz K.]

"I bury me,
Turning a blind eye on the roots of my own"

I cannot pretend that I understand the entire poem in its complexity, but the last line(s) really resonate with me. It never stops amazing me how people, living seemingly distant, disconnected lives, can actually have very similar internal experiences.

[chrysantheranium]

Thank you for the kind review, Laz! I personally took this poem as a way to express the fact that I have trouble viewing myself in the future and the past alike. I look back on the past and miss the innocence but despise the ignorance, and I look in the future and grow jealous of the knowledge and growth... I find myself looking at everything so hard that I lose sight of what matters the most, which is growing away from one extreme to eventually become the next. Through going "blind," I mentally and emotionally pick myself apart - I miss myself so much that I destroy myself in attempt to "bring the old/new me out," but all it does is kill me. It's a painful cycle of wishing I was better and thinking the only way to do so is dig into myself instead of grow from the inside out. I hope that helps!

[Laz K.]

Yes, it clarifies the poem. Thank you. The feeling is familiar, by the way. It's probably the burden of a certain type of mind/personality. It can be very exhausting, this sort of "doubly duty" - living in the outside world, and at the same time having your eyes turned inward - two worlds to deal with...not easy.

[Robert Trakofler]

he he, this reminds me a bit of the covet poem i just wrote:) the dichotomy of coveting of the self is a fine expression I think should i tear my soul out a bit I'd have a great deal of explaining to do and i would have to get a good grip on the handle for fear the soul would hit me over the head with it! eventually they will become lovely friends but not afore a bit of scrapping I think:)

[chrysantheranium]

Before healing, we must first have reason to be torn apart - scars are only signs that we've made the best of the worst. Thank you for the review!

[Li]

This is so deep and well captured, I actually had to read it twice to fully grasp it and that makes it all the more amazing.
I especially liked the part "pokerfaces hiding the intelligent dunce"...good stuff chrysantheranium.

[chrysantheranium]

I appreciate it! :)

[Kay Salisu Titilola]

That is true.
We may never leave our cage if we don't learn how to set ourselves free.
A man can't decide tie himself up and expect himself to walk the miles.

Well penned!

[chrysantheranium]

Sometimes the key is in our hands, and all we need is the time to process the fact we're mentally/emotionally/physically able to proceed. It may make us look like fools, but it's what makes us human.

Thank you for your kind review!

[Kay Salisu Titilola]

And that's true.

[heith.ash]

this is just so real .you really have a way with words .
the lines" this man soul away from life tonight"
" envious he was and envious he'd be"
really got me.

[chrysantheranium]

Why, thank you, Heith! :)