Madmen

this is one of my favourite pieces that I've written. It was the first time I really experimented with layout beyond just indenting lines.

 

There are madmen in this world, they say

     Who climb up towers and scaffolds

     or into the barrel of a gun

or whiskey bottle.

Some let sharp things

     crawl into their sides,

others prefer the flatness, hardness

     a smacking

STOP.

 

They say

     they are mad, for they have given up

or tossed aside

or shot away

or dissolved

or drowned

the only thing worth living for.

 

But it seems

A

     B     S

U

RD

to think that life is worth living for,

in and of

             ITSELF.

 

Some of them have left

   NOTES

or music notes

or parabolas

or paintings

that try to say what they could not utter.

 

Some cite pain so deep, love so grave

or passion

or rage

or ennui

or

a     BURDEN,     too heavy to bear.

 

A wise

      a gentle

a man, once told me of a burden easy, and

a yoke so

LIGHT.

 

But also of a wooden cross to carry,

     And mountains, like pebbles to

TOSS

into the sea

     And mustard seeds to feed and house the

BIRDS.

 

And

       and

             he said

                         something

    about

             TRUTH.

He said it was freedom.

 

But they say he was a madman, too.

Author's Note

whatcha think?

Reviews

[His Insight Justified]

Wonderful. The title "Madmen" attracted me, and this poem did not disappoint.

[Andromeda]

ok. so i love this one. it is amazing! yay!

[SweetPersephone]

I liked this one a lot, too. It has that fast pace I was talking about, lovely. ^_^

[Karlyn]

i really like this poem. is the mustard seed thing allusion? same with the mountains being tossed into the sea.
maybe it should be obvious.
but i'm blonde.
i apologize? i think...