The Madman

I must confess, I had some fun with this one.

Sitting on an old dock, rough and brown as bread crust,

I attempt to recall feelings

My former self once possessed, hoping to restore the

Buoyant, boyish attitude of my childhood. The

Curling tips of waves anger me as they mock

My predicament, tickling my bare, bronze feet with

Devilish glee, changing at will

With twisting currents and pools,

And extracting the remaining pitiful cells of happiness

From my soulful veins like hungry syringes.

 

Why may the ocean flow continuously without

Restriction, but I am damned to remain sorrowfully stagnant,

Unable to retrieve my youth

And equally incapable of collecting the

Fermented wisdom my old age owes to me?

I am like a banker, who, offered a drink

By a man in debt to him, becomes merrily drunk,

Experiencing life’s most incredible and temporary features

Only to wake the next morning with

A heavy head aching with the knowledge that he was tricked,

Letting his debtor dart away free once again.

 

Life is a cheat, a crook, a brawny burglar breaking

Into hearts, ripping away the joy he had previously given,

And rescinding his promise of gifts to come. The water

Swirling below sickens me as my stomach churns

With a terrible, thunderous storm striking down

Fellow sailors navigating the boiling oceans of existence

With vengeful lightning. Perhaps,

As life has done to me, I may

Take another’s happiness and chain it to

My gray, stone anchor of a heart, hiding it

So that no being, mortal or immortal, may tear it

From my grasp again.

 

Yes, I will roam these seas searching

For youths with jubilant naivety, stealing

Their blessings like an old pirate of a slightly different fashion, but

No less a fiend than those of old. Catch sight

Of my black, frayed flag and tremble before

The cold, hard starboard of the soul-ship.

Beware you who sees my face, white

As chalk, cackling like a starving hyena above his dead and bleeding prey.

Beware.

Author's Note

Reviews would be appreciated :)

Reviews

[Zoya]

Oh gosh, wicked. You know this kinda seemed Shakespearean, especially the second stanza. The descriptions, again, were horrifically good.
"Life is a cheat, a crook, a brawny burglar breaking
Into hearts, ripping away the joy he had previously given" - true lines. Loved this part.
Well done!

[Ethan]

Wow thank you, that's high praise :O

[Zoya]

You deserved it. You're welcome.

[Wallace Beery]

Wow, Ethan. That was deep, dark, and extremely vivid. I liked it.

[Ethan]

Thank you very much :)

[KT-B]

This is very clever, this reads as if written by an old soul - I loved it - you have a wonderful, unique style, look forward to reading more of your work :)

[Ethan]

Wow thank you, this means a lot :)

[Angel]

Being anti-social sucks but it does seem to bring out these amazing poems for you.

[Ethan]

Thanks a lot :)

[Angel]

Welcome :P

[Angel]

Welcome :P

[Barbara Walker]

I read through this twice. I had to the second time to convince myself that, indeed, these were the words I had read from one young enough to be my grandson. Your vocabulary is excellent and your subject is deep. I love the way you brought this together. The only negative and it's purely a personal preference, is in the third line. To Just say "I once possessed", may seem simplistic, but I was tripping over the way it is written and I have always agreed with the thought that less is more. But again, it's personal preference. Clearly, you think beyond your years and have a great ability to express those thoughts on paper.

[Ethan]

Wow thank you, that means a lot :O

[Barbara Walker]

You're very welcome. You have a gift, don't waste it!

[Ethan]

Ill try not to :P

[Toni Scales]

Oh my gosh. You're a young prodigy. Exquisitely beautiful and evocative and haunting. I'll stop now.

[Ethan]

Thank you :))

[Riddhi]

My god!!!Actually this was you know like some movies with their hero who was heartbroken at the end .You know what i liked most about your poem was that when i read it it seemed like everything appeared in front of me right from an old man to that sea...I actually liked..
Keep on writing and thanks for sharing...
Take care
Riddhi

[Ethan]

Thanks :)))

[Carol Cashes]

"Unable to retrieve my youth
And equally incapable of collecting the
Fermented wisdom my old age owes to me?"

Perceptive and unique - "wisdom my old age owes me." Never thought old age owed me anything but seniority.

Thanks for this new insight.

[Ethan]

Thank you very much

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is one of my favorite poems i have read here---the similes are excellent..."the dock rough and brown as bread crust" "like hungry syringes"----

good stuff....i have never grown up, even at 67...i still feel my youth, even as the body is aging....i stay young in my mind.....but wisdom and heart have told me one thing that is inevitable.....Life Happens and it does change us, whether we want it to or not----

j.

[Ethan]

Wow thank you :)

[Zeldablue]

Such a beautifully written piece! Incredible imagery though out. Nicely done!

[Ethan]

Thank you :))