Natural Disaster

My mind fights with itself

As a child’s body might,

In a futile attempt to find a comfortable position to sleep in

 

My mind flips and bounds

As an interpretive dancer might,

Wrestling wordlessly against themselves in beautiful agony

 

My mind refuses to settle on any one thought

As an eager bee might,

Dashing from flower to flower, kicking up small tufts of pollen in its dizzying pursuits

 

It spins like a top but rather than slowly losing momentum

It charges on like a cyclone,

Gouging into the earth

Uprooting trees and

Homes and

Entire neighborhoods

 

My mind crashes around itself,

It is both the operator, the wrecking ball,

And the building that crumbles, story by story,

Into a dusty pile of rubble

 

But when its over, my mind is also the rain

 

It is the long grass beside the brook

That flattens under the cold dew in the blueness of the setting sun,

But rises tall again every time midday strikes

 

To cradle the sleeping heads of children

And wave between the dancer’s leaps and spins

And greet the bees, too busy to stop and rest

 

And perhaps even some day to withstand the cyclone looming in the distance. 

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Struggle, decision and knowing what is needed. Take time and luck.
"To cradle the sleeping heads of children
And wave between the dancer’s leaps and spins
And greet the bees, too busy to stop and rest"
I liked the above lines and the places/thoughts you took me with in your words. Life is learning. Few of us learn the easy way. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[S. K. Burke]

Thank you for all of your lovely reviews, each one was much appreciated (:

[Coyote Poetry]

I enjoyed your poetry. Realistic, honest and true. And you are welcome.

[Writeforlovely]

I think this poem it's intriguing. I enjoyed reading.

However, just a little nit pick..I did find it a little hard to find the meaning of this though. Are you struggling with decision?

[S. K. Burke]

I can totally see how you would find this poem confusing, because it is, and in a way its meant to be! The poem is less about struggling with a decision and more about just wrestling with a chaotic mind. I don't know how relatable this is to everyone, but personally when I'm upset, worried, or stressed, my mind just races and races.

The first five versus sort of just cover how destructive and over-active mind can be. It won't let me focus on what I need to and instead "fights", "flips", and "spins". I'm pretty self-critical so when my mind goes frantic like this its often very negative, like a storm, hence the name and stormy similes and imagery.

The last versus end on a more positive note, though. At the end I point out that while my mind is destructive like a falling building or cyclone, it can also be serene and cleansing, like the rain after a storm or the comforting grass beside a brook. It causes me strife but also comforts me afterwards, because I am often the only one to console myself after a bad day.

Each image from the first three stanzas (the child struggling to sleep, the thrashing interpretive dancer, and the frantic bee) are repeated in the last lines in a more positive light (the heads of sleeping children, the leaping dancer, the busy bees) to show that my mind can in fact serve as both the problem and the solution.

There is no definitive answer at the end and no problem solved, just hope for the future that I can someday withstand internal anguish (the cyclone) and I can always have the strength to help myself through dark times.

A little confusing, but hope this helps! Thanks for your input!

[Writeforlovely]

Thank you for your explanation that helps a lot! And I can relate to that 100%! I am also very self critical and an analyzer fanatic. It can be true that our minds can be our worst enemy but also our beloved. It's quite a journey!

[aruntp Thalassery]

interesting poem....took some time to understand...

[terry smith]

Frantic and then calm, I like this a lot! you have a great way of describing your turmoil!