Bleed to stay alive

Some wounds are best left unhealed
Let them bleed.....Bleed to stay alive!
That little trickle of blood is all you've got
to remind you of the distinction between right and wrong

Yes I know all about the scab that's forming
It stands as much of a chance as a painted hag in a beauty contest
It mocks the memory of your once pristine skin
So claw at it! Scratch it out! Obliterate it! And bleed....

I see Patience and Forbearance sniveling in the distance...
I see Cowardice masquerading as Nobility...
For Heaven's sake! Since when did Liberation start pledging fealty to Utopian morals?!
Sometimes, (like now, for instance) it is blatantly wrong to forgive or forget

For once, deceive the shackles of Propriety
For once, honour the Gift of Life, by LIVING
Sometimes, it is necessary to draw blood....
Now is not the time to sheath your sword.

Reviews

[Chandradhish Ghosh]

Is it pain or is it just a feeling? Or is it just the lull before a revolution? I wonder in which state you were when you wrote this...I like this because it is raw...this doesn't have the wordplay of the poet but dignified use of words. I like the unrest that is brought out through it, I like the passion for living and I like the belligerence flowing throughout this piece of work. I rate this work very highly!

[Augustus]

Thank you CD! This is about the one thing that has been a source of pain in an otherwise comfortable life. I'm glad the revolution didn't have to come in the end. But I'm happy that the poem manages to convey what I intended. Thank you once again for your insightful review.

[Holly Mason]

sheath the sword but let yourself bleed...interesting and I like that thought behind the overall statement
live and learn - if we didn't learn to bleed we would be leading a plastic life that although has physical existence it does not have much else
bleeding emotions are better then no emotion at all
like your title choice much
thank you fine sir

[Augustus]

Thank you so much Holly!

[emmajoy]

You're so very right .. the power and determination of your voice in this is very pronounced. To spend life always taking care of self, never taking chances, never going that inch further is somehow a waste of spirit.. and consequently, the spirit is diluted. one becomes afraid to speak out, stand and be counted, etc. We learn by mistakes.. oh yes, we do, and how! But, what else is there.. facing a wall, curled in a ball or sitting on the fence all the time, What a waste of life, of using brain and emotions and .. everything.

You always use wonderful language, go that step beyond and in this post you've not adhered to the traditional forms but let your thoughts and emotions do their own fine thing.

[Augustus]

Thank you so much Emma! I've been rather busy with work of late, so not been here for a few days....Yes, I've dabbled in free verse again. The power and determination that you speak of wouldn't have come out, had I bound it with meter. Let it not be said that Augustus sticks to the old ways blindly. :P

[Leslie Philibert]

I remember reading a number of poems from this poet; he writes well, this confirms my
impression ,here he uses the quatrain but fills it with modern, hard (Jacob`s right) imagery, so a nice contrast, good work

[Augustus]

Thanks Leslie!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this is an agressive piece...in your face words about living life to the fullest...not backing down because we could get hurt...bleeding is good...as that song said "you bleed just to know you're alive"

i really like "like a painted hag in a beauty contest" that is a superb image shown to us.

the visuals and personification have a party in this really good piece of writing.

jacob

[Augustus]

Thank you Jacob. I'm glad that the aggression came out. What I also wanted to bring out was that if you keep worrying too much about what others think and what society might think of your actions, you will never truly be able to live. Sometimes you get hurt by others but you don't give it back because you fear society's reaction. And keeping that hurt inside is not healthy.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

very true!