An Inborn touch of the Dark mind

those in the know, know, inspired by Eilis, again, again,

An Inborn touch of the dark mind

is it nurtured

Natured

is it inhaled in the womb

learned at school

is it born through horrific 

brutality and pain,

psychotic acid dreams

is it found under beds in

matchboxes full of discarded

spider's legs and broken

insect wings

is

it dreamed or imagined in 

paintings of angry vengeful

Gods and 

melting time

is it recognised in the poetry

and prose of madmen and Kings

(and fools)

did Ted Bundy

have a choice

did the Son of Sam

stand a chance

kurt Cobain

if you have an inborn 

touch of the dark mind

be afraid, 

be very afraid.

for it is a dangerous and

 beautiful thing

just ask the 

ear of Van Gogh

and Tolstoy's syphilitic pen

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i wonder if all poets have that touch...
because it seems we so easily write about the dark stuff...the tortured artist kind of thing...
what that ear of Van Gogh was all about.
this is so good...and yes, reading Eilis...is definitely inspiration for the rest of us.
'i asked Van Gogh's ear, but unfortunately there was no mouth to answer"
j.

[gram linski]

haha, thanks, j. loved that last line, you are an inspiration also, love your work,

[barleygirl]

Excellent tribute to the way our basest tendencies often fuel the best art. I love how your poem starts out with a more cerebral discussion, nature vs nurture, and then slowly descends into a much more messy & dynamic swirl of possibilities, delivered with a frenzied touch, so that you're SHOWING the reader (unmentioned) that this darkness also infects YOU. I love how you pick unusual & appropriate, but recognizable examples of artists so plagued (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[gram linski]

thanks, Margie, you're not the first to mention my frenzied (but gentle) touch, lol,

[Eilis]

I believe in the inborn touch, yes I do. It’s something I’ve watched in my own family with trepidation. When I was young and only thought of having children, I had a sense that I could protect them from a lot of the darknesses. But, each person is a separate universe and we are only able to access those parts that they allow us to enter. The depths of the human spirit and mind baffle me. I can’t think about it too much.

So, I like your exploration of the idea. When I was younger I used to watch horror movies and read about serial killers—absorbing those ideas like research toward unraveling the mysteries of human existence. Knowing that people can meticulously craft two personalities and mostly hold it together. It’s something I experienced with adults as a child, and so I think I was always looking for the loophole—the thing that would open up the darkness to light—the words that might reshape history.

But in the end, there seems to be this kind of momentum that drives action forward. These impulses that can only be tempered for so long. And if the darkness isn’t shared until something drastic occurs, there’s no chance of help.

You’ve got an interesting collection of examples here. From the personally haunted to the psychotic to the arrogance born of a certain kind of brilliance. Tolstoy is one of my favorite authors, actually wrote a poem about him years ago. But he struggled to combat the sense of his own importance. Darkness leads us in myriad directions. Which door we choose to open out seems to have a great deal to do with the outcomes.

I like how you tackled the idea here. Posing the question and letting everyone answer for themselves. And ending on danger and beauty. Yes. A kind of lethal cocktail that many of us recognize and don’t know how to slice apart. Great poem, Gram.

[gram linski]

hey Eilis, thanks again for another great review, a lots, of us have had s**t upbringings, some paint, some write and some go on a shooting spree down the High school, what is the difference between the killer and the poet, possibly the belief in Humanity despite the s**t, whereas the poet has just given up, lol, read a book awhile ago by Murderer poets, and some of it is brutal and intense, and some of it is the most beautiful prose, and some of it I have thought myself,

[R.E. Ray]

I think it's both, gram - nurtured and natured. At 51, I know I'm not the same person I was decades ago, or even five years ago. Not only time, but life changes us, stuffing the brain box with all sorts of good and bad. That's why I rarely if ever read "good poetry" from people in their teens or twenties. They've not lived long enough to have that depth (yes, there are exceptions). For me, PTSD has painted my thoughts black so many times, and it's certainly reflected in my writing.

Your Van Gogh and Tolstoy references are certainly humorous, but say something more about artists. They are people, often with tragic lives, who just happen to write and paint very well. Indeed, it is a dangerous and beautiful thing to hold a pen and brush, both weapons we wield and tools we use to create magical stories and memories.

[gram linski]

Wow, thanks man, genuinely can't comprehend some of the images and memories you have of War, it's like trench art, making something living out of a bomb shell thanks again for the read

[Chris Shaw]

I think all of us have a dark side, but poets don't attempt to hide it. Maybe expressing it actually is a form of therapy as well as being a creative outlet. I reckon most of us have skeletons in the cupboard that could provide material for our poetry. Some have more than others. Your words ask many questions. None of us can be sure of the reasons.of that darkness, but life's experiences have got to have something to do with it. Great piece of writing here gram. Much enjoyed and quite thought provoking. I mean you do wonder. Ted Bundy, Van Gogh. Big fan of your dark writes as well as those of Eilis. All good wishes.

Chris

[gram linski]

thanks as always for your great review, Chris, top o' the morning, if only people had paid a bit more attention to Hitler's art work, the world would be a very different place, lol