Echoes of madness

The sounds of madness that echo in ones mind

There is an emptiness that hangs over me
it sucks me in, drawing me near
with promises of lucidity, it reaches in hand
offering sweet suckle from it's bosom

My feet slip slowly out from under me
away into the darkness that smothers
unexplainable ache tangles with my awareness
pulling me deeper into the depths of isolation

I feel a thousand eyes bearing down on me
watching my every calculated move
hidden in the blackest of darkness
in every corner, in every crevice.

With sharp unrelenting teeth
they gnaw at my tired mind
stripping away the marrow of sanity
leaving me exposed and vulnerable.

Oh how the echoes of madness
beat like thundering fluttered wings
in every footstep, in every voice
my demise lays in patient wait.

I wrestle with sullen umbrage
flailing fiercely at abstruse images
created in the insecurities
of a doubting, and fearful mind.

In fractured mirrors I see forms
dressed in poisonous lies
spilling out unwelcome truth
unaccepted in this fragile state.

My heart pounds heavy in my chest
shadows stretching out, reaching forth
whispers of madness, calling
echo out in the darkness, it's only me.

The presence of light
pricks through the darkness
long, drawn out it flickers ever so small
doing little to chase away this twisted reality.

With hands I reach forth
clawing at the imagined wall that confine me
gnashing teeth chew on fingertips
bloodied in my attempt to escape.

my mind spirals downward
cascading uncontrolled into a thick fog
accepting my weakness, drawing me close
offering the sweet suckle of it's bosom.

Oh how the echos of madness
beat heavy in a reverberating silence
weightless on every crooked smile
ensnared on every winking eye.

Reviews

[.]

. wow ... that's a pretty spectacular piece of poetry ... an intense and comprehensive journey into the realm of something we can all relate to ... on a lighter note ... an uncle of mine was once sent to a loony bin (long story) ... and he escaped from there by posing as a doctor ... he found a lab coat lying around ... wore it ... and walked out confidently ... out of the main entrance ... no one questioned his sanity after that ...

[Fabian G. Franklin]

This is really a cool piece. I noticed a few tense issues you might wish to address. "my every calculated moved" move?
" mirrors I see form" forms? or "a form"... and one or two others...nothing a careful proofread won't sort out. What I love about this piece is it almost sounds like something I would write. This reads like a combination of two different poems I've written...The Other Side and Industrial Sympathy. I know the likeness is purely coincidental but feel a real kinship to the poem. I might send the two along to you just so you can see what I mean. My take on insanity (The Other Side) is a sort of utopian craziness where insanity is better than reality while Industrial Sympathy is about how the huge industries harm us all with pollution and kill us just to make a buck. The latter is pretty violently graphic like this. But you incorporate the same surreal qualities here that both pieces strive to encapsulate. Yes, I like this very much. Highest marks!

[Teri B]

Insanity 101... A breath-stealing and painstaking dissection of a mind teetering on the edge, about to topple over, pushed there by circumstance and paranoia, by fear and uncertainty.

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

I agree with Serah a fabulous piece of poetry..........I felt every line of this one.

[SensuelDeMot]

Wow...oh so real to me, felt like it was me travelling through that nightmare I try to avoid..safe places, safe thoughts...dont tempt fate, dont let the darkness get a taste of fear lest it come calling...this is an amazing insight into how the mind spirals, such vivid imagery..scarily real.
Brilliant use of words that flow so well. :)

[incwrite]

there is something familiar with these words

My feet slip slowly out from under me
away into the darkness that smothers
unexplainable ache tangles with my awareness
pulling me deeper into the depths of isolation

very deep, dark,
I know I have felt this
very well penned

Wow... How deep and complex... You always manage to convey thoughts in the most intricate, detailed way.

[Brad]

you gave voice to the chattering in my mind...what are you doing in there??

[Jeff]

Deep and thought-provoking. The circle of madness resonates through this piece.

[Shelly Braen]

Beautiful! Marvelous! Magnificent!!! This piece is so thick and sweet, yet so pungent and so richly dark! You have me in awe! There is chaotic logic and terrifyingly delicious articulations that I can taste with my eyes and soul. The madness and the wreched divine. Such a panic and so many hurts, I adore this for its truth and beauty. So well written! Tremendous!

[Poetic Beauty]

This is a poem of a swirling downward spiral of feeling the pressure of people judging you and always trying to tell you that the things you do arent good enough. It feels as if the weight of the world is crushing you to the ground almost flattening you out. This is my favorite stanza.

I feel a thousand eyes bearing down on me
watching my every calculated moved
hidden in the blackest of darkness
in every corner, in every crevice