THE CHILL IS INTEGRATED

03 06 14

I'm not fishing orally for compliments
in this sea of self-pity
yet I have this chill
that curls and recedes on the clockwork
of the rippled intermissions
when my skin is open to the Sun
Its heat keeps me honest
but the chill is integrated
in my most embarrassing outbursts
so that guarantees a return
of those waves in which I languished
indifferently and existential
I dog-paddle in a silly celebration
of no regrets / but like a drunk
stuck between senses
I'm a waterlogged fisherman
campaigning for a hook

Author's Note

Written in ten minutes...this should be fun...

captcha: disallow...

Reviews

[Rita L. Sev]

Its heat keeps me honest
but the chill is integrated
in my most embarrassing outbursts ...

We live in such fear of our own insecurities, and do such crazy things to divert attention from them... I like that last image, the waterlogged fisherman. Every fish'll bit if you've got good bait... but some days we'll take the scraps...

[kublakhan27]

So true Rita...you know me pretty well now, and if you've ever seen my statuses or comments elsewhere, you may have noticed that my insecurity has a way of deteriorating into a full-blown inferiority complex, and a deep resentment over the fact that I do not get near the attention that some of my friends get for their writing, and that is where the embarrassment factor comes in. I am genuinely happy for my friends when they get that adulation, but there's always that undercurrent of resentment, and it often makes me wish there was no status box on the site cuz it's such an easy place to unleash a day's worth of bitterness in a few seconds and a few words haha I'm getting better though :)

[Rita L. Sev]

Getting better is always good - any step in a more whole, content and balanced direction is a good start. Funny, I had a meeting with a student today who has been stressing out because, in his words, "No matter what I do, I'll never be as good as *Susie." (the top student in the class) It broke my heart, because he is very bright, very hard-working, and an all around great kid. I left him with these words from St. Francis DeSales - "Be who YOU are, and be that well." I think we could all use that reminder - Steve, this site would not be the same without you, and I appreciate that your poetry makes me think and feel in ways others do not. Status? You are YOU - and that's all that matters.

[kublakhan27]

Thanks so much for the support my friend, it goes a longer way than anyone can realize :)

[Jack...]

Don't I know this feeling. I keep dropping that line, hoping that the new and improved bait I use works, but unfortuantely it does not. We sit here on the banks of a silent still lake just hoping to see a ripple or two. But it seems all we see is our reflection. I am thinking it's time for me to leave the bait bucket at home and just enjoy the beauty.

I like how you brought this out or should I say, snuck this one in...Steve, some don't recognize the great fishermen of the poetic world, but I do. You take pen in hand and you cast your brilliance to our hungry eyes, which in my opinion, all can and should learn from.

You my friend are a genius, a poetic genius.

[kublakhan27]

My friend, you have made my day with this review, which I'd say is one of the most unforgettable I've ever gotten. I'm truly humbled by the fact that you think so much of what I write, it means the world. I also had a feeling that you'd know where I was coming from with this one. Thanks so much for all of your support Jack.

[Frieda P]

Ten minutes, woo and look at this deep dive you took. We all want/need confirmation of our validity, not fishing for compliments, just human nature. If this is an 'embarrassing outburst', we should all reel in such upscale abstruse metaphors, but then again, nobody does that catch better than Dali. ;-) xo

[kublakhan27]

Haha I must have been destined to write something last night Mrs.R, cuz there were absolutely no clues given to me through the day that it would happen ;P I suppose this piece is a lament over my constant need for that confirmation...it's true that we all need it, yet I can't get through a day without it. But I won't ponder over that stuff too much, I'm just happy that you like it, with the Dali factor still being there despite the speed of the write ;) Thank you love...xo

[jacob erin-cilberto]

nice metaphor in which to further hook your readers...i swam toward this poem happily...

you are brilliant in how you tell one story to tell another...

jacob

[kublakhan27]

Thanks so much for the kind and humbling words Jacob, they are much appreciated.

[A. Amos]

I agree with my fellow reviewer David Scott :)

[kublakhan27]

Thank you A, your kind words are much appreciated :)

[David Scott]

It is ok to need affirmations in life. We are social beings.
Your poetry needs no hook or crook to generate positive feedback.
Ten min or ten days, this is poetry to relate to well.
I like the vulnerability of the write.

[kublakhan27]

Thanks so much for the kind words David :)