White noise of distractions
symphonize with the shackled thoughts of
The internal prison wander in and out
is ignored by those who see it as normal
The clamor pains hurts my head
the writing during my capture soothes
The times I spend outside, searching
negates the antidote
The days I try to fight, on my own
without prescribed warriors
Are met with violent judgement
and crushing defeat
To be listened, not just heard
is the flag to be planted, most days
But the Army of Needful Want
is always stronger, reinforced
I never blame their agents
I always fault the Want
If I could be licensed to kill
I’d slay Laziness and Apathy
Even those I love and may love me
are made blind with Distraction
The symphony is incredible
it is a mean ruckus
In simpler times I recall being told
“turn off your Television”
Even when it was not turned on
Artificial light is the scourge of now
I lay victim to their evil sparkles
venturing outside the cell is sobering
It always reduces me to despair
There are enough ideas in prison to entertain
there are few outside of it to matter
If I could be licensed to murder
I’d kill my Television
and take out yours too.
****blogger’s note****
This is a personal poem responding to Trifecta’s Challenge of “blind”. I used the third definition - “drunk”. I didn’t make the 333 word limit because I don’t have to.
http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/
Today’s song is one of my all-time favorite. I was a “Ned” many years ago. Enjoy the two bass players, energetic drums and the song’s double meaning. Here’s Ned’s Atomic Dustbin with Kill Your Television.
Yay, Ned’s! Cool poem too, I really like the hectic, chaotic feeling I get while reading it. Kinda felt like I was on the Scrambler. That sort of, oooh I feel sick but in a good way? Hard to explain. Thanks for sharing!
then i succeeded…this is my head…every day
and……. HE POEMS! Love, love, love! “mean ruckus” ?? “prescribed warriors” ?? Army of Needful Want!! Evil Sparkles!! It’s just too much! It’s like a wordgasm!
thank you….you and Bobina are rubbing off on me…plus, this woke me in the middle of the night – attack style
“Artificial light is the scourge of now” –remarkable line. I feel the raw experience in this one.
thank you Jen. i almost cut that line.
Oh no don’t cut it!
THIS is anxiety. Having been there plenty of times myself, you captured the spastic, racing flood of mess that is anxiety. And in poem form, no less!
thanks elizabeth…i’m sorry you know
I’m reading about a cacophony of intrusions (no point in my trying to describe what you so eloquently did in your writing). It is a such a vivid accounting; I can almost hear the noise. Even though I don’t regularly experience anything like this, I can relate to feeling a confluence of discordant stimuli during stressful or emotionally difficult situations.
thanks lum
You had me at the title. I’m still a Ned.
Love it. So well done.
Look at you busting out the poetry! Go, Lance! Love it, and you should do more
thanks Lori. good to see you around here…i’ll write more po’tree if you keep commenting
This: “symphonize with the shackled thoughts of
The internal prison wander …”
It has the rhythm of James Joyce or the tide. I love the way the tenses elide into each other, and ideas crash one to the next. This could be drunk, or it could be the cage of mental illness, whose confines can also be strengthened by that horrible white noise demon.
I’m not sure what tense ‘lay’ is meant to be in above. If ‘lay victim’ is an active thing, like ‘lay waste’, then you’re golden. If it’s more like stretching out all-of-us-are-in-the-gutter-some-of-us-are-looking-at-the-stars style, then it’s ‘lie’ you want.
thank you ! it’s “lay” and it’s mental illness…my anxiety
Joyce is a huge compliment
Great pace, pounding fingers on keys, makes me feel like you were beating up a typewriter because you already murdered the T.V.
weird, because I hand wrote this. But I love your reading and commenting. thank you so much
It’s the pace of it I could feel you striking each word, perhaps that is why I could hear keys being pounded. By hand or not just a great piece of writing.
I love “the Army of Needful Want.” Your phrasing and rhythm do a great job of conveying the emotion behind the words – it’s like another layer of poetry on top of the poem. It sounds like nighttime scribblings in the dark (in a good way!), which, if I understand correctly, is what you started with. Fantastic.
thank you…yes, it’s what I started and finished with.
I read this several times last night, and returned to read it several more today. It displays the chaotic pace of anxiety, and the mounted heaviness of too much, too fast. When I feel anxiety everything becomes amplified, sound, sight, smell, touch… it’s all in my face. I feel that in this piece Lance, nice job of writing your way through the feeling.
thank you for the mutiple reads….that’s the greatest compliment a writer can get
I think murdering the TV would be justifiable homicide. Might even get off with just probation
although televsion was metaphorical here…i agree with you 100 percent
Badass and brave
Really good writing, brother
thanks sister
Very provocative. Like your lyrics, your poems are a wonderful change of pace from your prose.
thanks…it was very organic…glad i did it