The Warden that Guards my Sleep

Bars of brain bar me by my

guards, near my far reign. With

conscious distraught he cries with lies

and thoughts to court replies,

yet I comply

brought by my warden’s deprived calls. With

boring eyes he fuels the stubborn engine

to drive by dry seas where he sees a sprawling

tide that I decide to hide under its wet hide. Swallowed 

like a star starved by dark, I suffer to swim with sickened stroke

in search of supple breath. Such nightmarish war done

to ensure I stop falling into roaring waters.

Am I

not in control? 

Far from hope I call hard 

met by a tired reply to try 

park on far floor near his voice. With

strength to stall the call of crawling waves that promise

yearned slumber, I strive

forward en garde 

charged with thoughts to live more chore, therefore,

not far to his call, his hands claw

to my living corpse brought back to lands I reign 

that rain with distraught.

That lifeguard of large pool is my guard

who brought fuel to the car that drives my

cycle of thought. Such award an

arduous partner shall taste,

for the warden hates me, as me hates I.

Reviews

[Boring~Potato]

"Bars of Brain" is a dense and layered exploration of the mind's inner turmoil, where the speaker wrestles with forces both external and internal—capturing a sense of being trapped, struggling with thoughts that refuse to settle. The poem offers a vivid depiction of mental confinement, likening the experience to being controlled by an unseen warden or guard, forcing the speaker to confront a relentless, cyclical battle within their own mind.

The opening lines, "Bars of brain bar me by my / guards, near my far reign," establish an immediate sense of claustrophobia and isolation. The metaphor of the "bars" immediately conveys the feeling of being imprisoned in one's own thoughts, with the "guards" representing external pressures or mental blocks. The repetition of "far" evokes a sense of distance, as though the speaker is always reaching, striving, but never quite able to reach a place of peace.

The poem’s progression reveals a constant struggle between forces pulling the speaker in different directions—"thoughts to court replies" versus "boring eyes" that fuel the "stubborn engine." There is a feeling of powerlessness against this relentless internal dialogue. The speaker seems to be both the prisoner and the warden, a duality that deepens as the poem unfolds. The line "Swallowed / like a star starved by dark" is particularly haunting, evoking an image of being consumed by darkness, a feeling of being lost, disoriented, and disconnected from the light.

The journey in the poem feels like an emotional and psychological marathon—"search of supple breath" and "nightmarish war done" to avoid sinking into overwhelming waters. The imagery of "roaring waters" and the speaker's "sickened stroke" highlights a deep anxiety and the constant feeling of being on the verge of drowning, both literally and figuratively.

In the latter half of the poem, the speaker continues their struggle, trying to "stall the call of crawling waves," resisting the lure of surrender to the mental forces that threaten to overwhelm them. The metaphor of the lifeguard, who "is my guard," emphasizes the external control the speaker feels—unable to escape, yet not fully in control of their own actions or thoughts.

The ending, "for the warden hates me, as me hates I," adds a final layer of complexity, as the speaker acknowledges the self-imposed nature of their torment. This internal conflict—self-hatred, self-resentment, and self-doubt—is poignant, leaving the reader with a haunting sense of the struggle for autonomy and clarity.

Overall, "Bars of Brain" is a raw and evocative exploration of mental conflict and the tension between external forces and internal struggles. The poem’s rich metaphors and vivid imagery invite the reader into the speaker’s disoriented world, where the mind feels like both a prison and a battleground. It’s a piece that lingers, offering no easy resolutions but instead presenting a complex, multi-faceted portrait of internal strife.