I hide

A Poem by James Connelly

Summer 2014

Seemingly interesting from afar
while I walk slowly about,
but when you get too close, I hide.

Safe in my shell, I see nothing
but the darkness of my hands
covering my eyes, only faintly
hearing the curious chatter outside.

They think that the covering
is the only thing to discover,
but there is much more inside.

In order to see the world
I need to open up,
but I'm too afraid
of what others will see when I do.

Will the world and the people around me
be the same as they were before I did so?
Or am I better off in my shell?

© 2016 James Connelly

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Reviews

kitty blur

I can understand and connect with the message behind this poem. I've been there - do I put myself out there and risk being rejected or judged, or do I stay "safe" in a place where I know that I'm not truly happy because nobody really knows me? Hiding behind walls (or retreating behind a shell) has its advantages, but sometimes really great things can happen by letting someone break through a couple of them, someone who really matters. I hope writing this helped you try and sort some of those things out. :)

I like the imagery you created in the second stanza. "I see nothing / but the darkness of my hands / covering my eyes" is a great line that I think really conveyed your message in a more descriptive way instead of a direct way. If I had any critiques, it'd be to include more of that in your poetry - more description instead of flat-out saying what you mean (in the last stanza, for instance). Leaving out some of the clear statements gives the reader a chance to interpret the poem in many different ways, which may or may not be what you want, but I thought I'd throw it out there. It's just a personal thing, don't put too much weight on it.

Overall, nice piece. :)