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.

[Tazeen Ahmed]

The way you described childhood/boyhood and then the experiences of adulthood when you're cheated and finally youth is truly riveting.
~intense
~incredible
I must say, you structured it beautifully and all small details are just Amazing!
Loved this!

[Tazeen Ahmed]

I must confess, I had fun reading this:-)

[Ethan]

Wow thanks :)))

[Farhan Shaikh]

Wowiee, these are lovely words..

[Ethan]

Thank you sir :))

[Tabby Mac]

This is unique!! I love it! I enjoy the wisdom entwined with the poem story or sorts! Your creativity is shining through in this piece for sure! I was afraid at first with its length but pleasantly surprised and grateful as I began and became entrapped by the AWESOMENESS of this piece!! Well done! Great write!! Clapity clap clap! LOVE ALL OF IT!
Tabby

[Ethan]

Aw thanks ❤️

[Charles Anthony Almanza]

Dark, vivid, and cynical, like a bitter old man by the sea. Are you sure you're in high school? Hahah. Great piece, my friend. Sad and a little depressing, but a great piece nonetheless. Keep up the good work buddy. You've got some real talent here.

[Ethan]

Wow thank you. And yeah, unfortunately I'm still in high school

[Charles Anthony Almanza]

Hey well no worries, I was in high school once and if I can guess, its completely frustrating for you; the lack of challenges and a complete dismissal of great talent feels like a hindrance. After high school, it'll totally get better. Focus on your writing though, dude. You're really good at it.

[Ethan]

Well i go to a classical school, so all is not lost

[Charles Anthony Almanza]

Ahh that makes a world of a difference hahah. Feel free to check out what I've written, I would love your thoughts on it dude.

[Joan Probst]

Great poem! You used great vocabulary and vivid descriptive words to get your message across. Keep it up!

[Ethan]

Thanksssss :)

[Eleise Trenda]

Very well done!! Your discriptions are Fantastic! You really took me there and I could envision it all. It made me laugh a bit with your "bread crust" reference😂. It was as if I was hearing a pirate speak it.. like jack sparrow or something haha. But very well done!

[Ethan]

Well thank you❤️

[Priyanshi]

Very well described, Specially the last stanza was good...actually the whole poem is great...
keep it up.

[Ethan]

Thank you :))

[Priyanshi]

You're welcome.

[CMC]

Life can leave us broken and stagnant, so we rip away happiness from others and hope it will become ours, for we are the starved that seek opportunity the most. That is how I interpreted this work, and it's incredibly powerful. Thank you for sharing this.

[Ethan]

Always nice to hear from you Chris :)

[wordman]

great story ethan,enjoyed the read

[Ethan]

Thank you :)

[Joey Nizz]

Damn, this gave me goosebumps and not the good kind, the creepy kind!

This is really good Ethan, well done!

I really liked this part:
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.

Thanks for sharing!

[Ethan]

Haha wow thank you

[Joey Nizz]

lol your welcome buddy.