riddle

for people, who think they are alone

of being and of love, a lonely riddle,
no one has the answer to, we are blind,
if we could speak, speak of no consequence,
hear the echo of a needle's tip, on the floor,
we do not listen well to the meaning
of the silence that comes after not being
listened to; you are important, no matter
how they make you feel about yourself,
no other one like you, in the world,
there is no other world than these,
the ground-swell you are standing on,
the night, you fell asleep on an old bed,
not your own - with all your clothes on,
you made it to our place, on your own,
smiling like a thief, i am all for the stealing,
happiness is happiness, rooted, without wings,
we remain standing, fools and friends,
not for anything, but the moment, this alone

Reviews

[Lyn Anderson]

Happiness comes from within and not from without, and we can always be alone, without being lonely, or be surrounded by people and feel desperately alone. You are expanding and finding your unique style and voice, transforming your mind and your poetry in real time. It is a lovely thing to watch.

[highonwords]

i could feel it, too, kl - it feels nice - 'though i believe happiness comes both from within and without - but if the external situation seems hopeless, you have the choice to endure and learn from it, arrive at a worthwhile meaning, even if there is no definite answer to our questions - thank you so much, my friend :)

much love,
steph

[AliciaB]

This poem is amazing! I absolutely love the lines "we do not listen well to the meaning / of the silence that comes after not being / listened to". I can definitely relate to the experience of feeling like I'm being ignored or that what I have to say isn't important to the people I'm talking to. I also love the repetition of "listen"/"listened" in those lines - using two words that are very closely related (i.e., same basic word, different tense or whatnot) in such close proximity in some form of parallel structure indicates a high level of skill in manipulating the words of your poem. Also, it sounds super cool. :) And going off of that as well, the use of "alone" as the last word of the poem (way to end with a power phrase of "this alone", by the way!) when the poem starts off by mentioning "a lonely riddle" (that phrase is very cool as well) and in light of the comment at the top about this poem being "for people who think they are alone" is spot-on! And, finally, the image of "the echo of a needle's tip, on the floor" is awesome. Really enjoyed this piece. Excellent work!

[highonwords]

wow, alicia, your comment and insight blew me away - thank you so, so much - i am so touched - it is always my passionate intention to reach out to as many people as i can with words, which is a doorway to build relationships - the essence of being human - thank you!

my best to you,
steph

[Sarah Wilson]

blown away! your poetry is deep and moving, it makes you consider the big picture from an outside point of view!

[highonwords]

hi sarah - thank you, thank you so much for the wonderful comment and lovely visit - glad you like the poem :)

my best to you,
steph