This is where you stand
amongst your angels
and your demons.
Learned to speak their languages,
righteousness and sin,
the accurate and the aimless.
Cut off ties that bind
and thoughts that linger.
In the darkness
of cold morning,
seeking solace amongst the suffering,
for only in the aftermath
could anyone know deliverance.
“Are you going to do it?”
The voice of Doubt
rises from the pit.
Crush it out,
like the embers from your last cigarette.
The taste in your mouth is bitter,
the ashen flavor of an old, broken promise.
Stand and deliver.
It is now,
or it is never.
Salvation crashes down upon you,
the weight of a life misgiven,
the cold heart of the frozen Earth.
The hero and the invalid
both scream to make it stop.
That little voice of Doubt
becomes a chorus,
mad with fear and panic.
The Prince becomes a beggar,
pleading for mercy,
every weakness exposed.
Then silence.
A dark and peaceful void.
Slipping between
perception and sensation
to crack the hidden door
and peer within.
When it is all over,
your eyes will be more attuned
to light and color.
You will be
a better hunter,
a better lover,
a better king.
Fear will still exist,
But so too
will knowledge and experience,
until the next time
you face yourself
at the dawn of the day.
DJR – 2023
What a beautiful and thought-provoking piece! I love the imagery and the sense of conquering one’s inner demons. It really resonates with me. I’m curious, was there a particular experience or inspiration behind this poem?
Yoy E.
shop.aihairsalon.ca
Thank you for your kind words. Very happy that you found something about this piece that spoke to you. It is why we write after all. As far as a specific experience; yes and no. I recently began taking ice cold showers in the morning. Here in Northern Alberta Canada the ground is still frozen and the nighttime temperatures are still around -20°C, so the water is painfully cold. I have been doing this every day for a few weeks and have noticed some benefits both physically and mentally. This piece drew on my experiences with psychedelics, overcoming addiction, having Faith, and just the everyday struggle of trying to do better and be better for the people in my life. I think we all contend with adversity in our lives, but when we choose to seek it out and defeat it, it is where we find a deeper knowledge of who we are and our place in the universe.