Embrace The Storm

Been working on this one for quite some time, and it's been quite a headache. This song/poem is inspired by that epic and creepy movie, "Shutter Island". Enjoy!

Embrace The Storm (Inspired by the movie "Shutter Island")

I close my eyes

I see your beautiful face

You're everywhere I turn

And you know I'd sell the world

Just to kiss your lips again

Under violet skies

Across this unknown place

I've only memories left to burn

Watch the blackened clouds unfurl

Across sorrow and the pain

You know I love you so much,

And I'll never let you go

Though you're just so far away

Further than anyone will know

And I'll destroy the monster who took you away

As the deep blue skies begin to fade to gray

You know I'll make him pay

The terror is hiding

Out in the darkness somewhere

Mysteries residing

Like there's someone here who's not even there

My memories are tearing at my soul

No one to trust now

No one is who they are

But I'll find a way somehow

Though hope just seems so far

And the coming chaos is beginning to unfold

Across raging seas and biting rains so cold

And I know the dark is calling

My peace of mind is falling

With the lost and the gone

Among those whom I've wronged

This life is but a trial

We're living in denial

Of all that we've done

Stand and embrace the storm

Through love and hate forevermore

In my deepest dreams

You're right next to me

You're everything I need

And this time I'll hold you close

Before I lose you again

Across lakes and streams

You belong here with me

'Cause I don't want my heart to bleed

Please tell me you're not a ghost

Of my past, present and my pain

And how I wish I could have saved you, and rescued you all

But I know, you I will never betray

I'm at the edge of the abyss, with nowhere to fall

But I know I'll find a way

So I beg you, please stay

Through whispers and agony

Let the flames of hope show me the way

To anyone who's come back to me

Let's escape before they drag us down today

The painful truth lies buried beneath it all

There's nowhere to turn now

For I know what's going on

If only I could find help somehow

And know that I'm not alone

Across the dark tower that looms above us all

And I know the dark is calling

My peace of mind is falling

With the lost and the gone

Among those whom I've wronged

This life is but a trial

We're living in denial

Of all that we've done

Stand and embrace the storm

Through love and hate forevermore

The poison's always been in me

Like the blood running in my veins

Haunting my thoughts and dreams

In the darkness and the rain

I may not know what's false and real

But nothing more of me you'll steal

And I know I'm not insane

But those words'll never help me again

And I know the dark is calling

My peace of mind is falling

With the lost and the gone

Among those whom I've wronged

This life is but a trial

We're living in denial

Of all that we've done

Stand and embrace the storm

Through love and hate forevermore

CODA

Is it true the monster is myself?

And that I've known this all along?

For all this while have I been lying to myself?

Has my life been so wrong?

And is it worse to die as a man good for all

Or live as a monster deep inside?

So please forgive me if you can forgive me at all

Please believe me because I tried...

Author's Note

Image taken from Wikipedia
Sorry if this was long...
This was REALLY hard to write because of the vastly contrasting emotions here (love, pain, terror, etc)! So please go easy on me...:P
This was written from Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels's perspective.
Oh yes, and just for your information, the very principle of Leonardo DiCaprio's movies "Shutter Island" and "Inception" is that the brain cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is clearly imagined. After all, how many times have you thought something was real but it was all just a dream?
And here's an explanation of the stanzas:
First stanza: Teddy seems to see his late wife, Dolores, everywhere he looks, in his dreams, as he has never gotten over her death. i was reading the movie novelisation where he said he would "sell the world" just to have her again...
Second stanza: Teddy and his new partner Chuck is called to investigate an incident on Shutter Island...
Third stanza: Teddy wants to go to Shutter Island as he believes his wife's murderer, Andrew Laeddis, is being held there, hence the "monster who took you away"...
Fourth stanza: On Shutter Island, a woman named Rachel Solando, who had murdered her kids, had allegedly escaped from Ashecliffe Hospital, the asylum. Teddy and Chuck investigate the escape and retrieve a cryptic note from Solando, indicating that there was supposed to be 1 more patient there...
Fifth stanza: Just explaining the suspicious natures of everyone on the island...and a powerful storm is coming to ravage the island...
Chorus: This was supposed to be a reflection of everyone at the asylum, patient or doctor, and they always insisted that they were "doing the right thing", or that others had forced them to do horrible things.
Sixth stanza: Teddy has some more dreams of Dolores, and in one of the dreams, just as he was telling her to hold on, she crumbles to dust before his eyes...
Seventh stanza: More dreams of Dolores, and their home which overlooked a lake.
Eighth stanza: Among other things, Teddy also keeps seeing a girl who keeps telling him, "You should have saved me!" And Teddy also wishes he could have saved Dolores...
Ninth stanza: Teddy infiltrates Ward C, the part of the hospital for the most psychotic patients, using matches to guide him. He meets George Noyce, another friend of his, who had been on the island and warning him of the fates awaiting himself and Teddy...
Tenth stanza: Teddy is also intrigued with the tower on Shutter Island, which he soon learns is where the doctors carry out lobotomies and other experiments on patients...
Eleventh stanza: Upon meeting what appeared to be Rachel Solando, she tells Teddy that the food and drink and even cigarettes at the hospital were drugged, and the drugs would eventually cause him to lose his mind. She also explains the bitter truth that if a person was deemed crazy, any denials would only reinforce that perception...
Coda: Teddy eventually confronts the doctor in charge on Shutter Island, Dr. Cawley, who says that Teddy really is Andrew Laeddis and that he killed his own wife, because she had drowned their children. Dr. Cawley also says that Teddy had built for himself in his mind a whole new life in which he was innocent. Chuck is also revealed to be one of the doctors of the island as well. Before being sent for a lobotomy, Teddy asks Chuck "if it was worse to die as a good man or to live as a monster"...

Reviews

[Nothing Personal]

If you didn't write the Author's note, as a stand-alone, this would be a different poem and would be read with delight. We could write inspired poems and not give the film a credit..If you just wrote this and didn't say this was inspired, I would have believed you. Except the occasional dialogue reference, this poem is a true original in its form, structure and content. I feel that every stanza could have its own poetic sense. Every thing we write is inspired from something or other , why care if it's a movie. I felt that this one is pretty well written, has that anguish, hopelessness feeling of a man trying to change , trying to avenge..His inner conflicts are kept guessing until the very end and his own questions to himself is revealed then. All n all, superb in terms of imagery, language and delivery.
A good Poem to a good movie..

[Frantzuu]

I've seen the movie and thought it was pretty freaking awesome!!! Some people hate it and I'm like are you serious? lol Anyways thanks for the long explanation there it was interesting to read.
The poem was very well written, you always do a great job capturing the audience's attention, as well as emotions. Stunning piece of writing dude.

[Sarah McConnaughey]

I haven't seen the movie because I can't stand Leonard DiCaprio, but your poem is amazing!

[Kaitlyn]

Really good... It was a little long but the length just made it better! good job :D

[KAREN]

great poem, alot of emotions flowing and imagery was great! Music with this would sound wonderful I bet!!

[Jūdan FyreHeart]

This was a great way of telling a story through emotions and beautiful images. Nice job

[trainwreck]

In my deepest dreams
You're right next to me
You're everything I need
And this time I'll hold you close
Before I lose you again

I love that. This was a beautiful work. I think its not totally necessary to explain the stanzas, but I appreciate that you did. Great job.

[Charles]

You've captured the intensity of the movie quite well and carry the theme throughout these many stanzas - a trick in and of itself. A few minor points. In stanza three, the word 'far' establishes a physical distance, making ;'farther' better than 'further' in the next line. In stanza 4, I think it would be better change 'here' to 'there' (keep the monster outside). In stanza 6, 'you all' makes the pronoun plural, but in most other places it has a singular verb form. I don't understand the first line of the last stanza (to die as a man good for all) - maybe I'm missing something in my reading. Nice job on a complex poem - i can see why you worked on it so long.

[Linear]

Shutter Island, didn't move me at all, to damp, to dreary, to sombre and monastic for my tastes.
So to write a poem, filled with so much expressed emotion inspired by the film is, to me quite astoundingly well done.

[Marie Harrison]

Wow, I'm so impressed. I believe this is my favorite poem of yours. I just loved it, every word! Very moving.