Unspoken

Disembodied words

Tangled in the neck of a naked bottle

Poised to combust under this unending pressure

Created by emotions denied their release

They yearn to escape their murky cage

Toiling in the poisonous depths below

Burning hotter than Vesuvius

Yet they remain colder than dry ice

They are alphabet magma

Waiting to explode

 

Shake them up

Rattle their cage

But you’d better be brave

If you dare try to make sense of chaos

Make sure to cover your ears

For the explosion that will sound

When disembodied words find their way from underground

Will obliterate the lid from this fortress of solitude

And the words that have dinned on my soul

Will be unleashed upon an innocent world

And venomous viper’s intent to devour all flesh

Will show no mercy

As they’ve shown no mercy to me

And there’ll be no-one to blame but you

 

Some words are better left unspoken.

Author's Note

I was taught to always remember that our words have power. Reviews are welcome.

Reviews

[Pryde Foltz]

Powerful write and fantastic wordplay. I like.

For me, this piece reflects a the process of the poet. (I know you wanna give someone hell) But when to release a poem to the view of others, I always second-guess this because with time our words can lose some of the anger and gain in the beauty, but then perhaps they also lose some of the meaning.

[s y e]

Words have so much more power than some people accept. They can help, and comfort but they can also harm and hurt people. That's why I was taught never to write angrily in an email as it could be held as evidence. I always just talk to my Gran.

A great poem, Kristin.

~ Noodle ~

[Onku Ghosh]

What a powerful poem !! GReat imagery '' Disembodied words/Tangled in the neck of a naked bottle'' ''Burning hotter than Vesuvius" " And venomous viper's intent'' and ......In the whole poem i get a feeling that some very powerful words that have been suppressed for a long time are just waiting to get unlea shed so that they can create a pandemonium.
Excellent write worth shelving in my library.

[Angi]

I know that words have power. Power to help, power to harm. Sometimes, I spew them without thinking. It is better to put them on paper. I can always file them away (for myself) if they hold too much power. I hope you are well, Kristin. Angi~

[Astro]

Nice description of the 'bite your tongue' metaphor. I find holding too much back can sometimes be way worse than saying what we think even if it might seem hurtful, but needless to say, there's a reason you don't poke the dragon either. Did you mean to say "dinned on your soul" or, "dined"? Good stuff K.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

A flowing and well described poem in such apt metaphorical images. One typo? When disembodies words find their way from underground-disembodied?

[Kristin Lee]

Good eye :) Thanks!

[Mashoosh Kateb]

I really liked the poem. I am only an amateur writer and far from a poet. I will still give you my two cents. Some of the metaphors you have used seemed forced to me like vesuvius and magma and to a certain extent the viper. I think if you can come up with "And the words that have dinned on my soul" you can definitely come up with something better than those cliches. Having said that, I couldnt have come up with anything like this if I spent my lifetime. Very powerful but I think it has so much more potential if you play around with some of the words.

[Kristin Lee]

Thank you for stopping by and offering the review :) That is a challenge indeed. I drew upon metaphors that I'd seen recently in life. For example I watched a documentary about volcanoes the other day that stated Vesuvius is actually still very active and quite dangerous...one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. As for the words dinning on my soul, I was thinking of the way we torture ourselves with unsaid things, they almost take form inside us, chiding us, like medusa perhaps :) I appreciate your thoughts. It's expression like this that will help me grow as a writer. Thanks!

[rhythm&blues]

I usually opt for the unspoken but then I'm not sure if that's really the right way to go since they fester inside. Nice work.

[Kristin Lee]

I know exactly how you feel. I think that's why I've become a writer.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i agree with sarah..hard to know when to shut up or when to say it...

but as emily dickinson said "words have the power to heal, but also the power to kill."

they have that strength and sometimes we lose control of them.

nicely penned piece, Kristen.

[Kristin Lee]

Another Dickinson reference :) I love it. I agree, some times the line between what to say and not to say is hazy. My life has left me quieter than most, an observer by heart because I've seen tempers flare, or emotions such as fear run wild and tear relationships apart not with fists, but with words. I'm not innocent by any stretch of the imagination, but I try to watch what I say. Even when my silence drives people nuts. I'd rather my silence drive them crazy then my words spoken in anger piss them off or worse, hurt their feelings.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

you are a very wise Person, Kristin...

jacob

[Mark]

Excellent verse. Powerful imagery. Seamless execution.

[Kristin Lee]

Thanks so much Mark.