I wade in; I float near
Not myself- who's that there?
Can't be me; won't free me
Else, I'd drift out to see
No windows- no wind blows
Stale thoughts heave in death throes
This place's strange faces
Fill the spaces tightly
Swift pacing, mind racing
Dreams fleeted yet chasing
Depleted, now seated,
Truth meted to me
In pieces, heart ceases
As time's s~l~o~w~flow~increases
Mirroring their familiar
Conciliar decree
Stern strangers, deranged- Or?
Portending no danger to
An ending upending their
Unbending decree
As my eyes recognize them
And my selfs humanize them
I realize now
that the stranger
in my mirror
is me
H/T @KK
d’Verse Open Link Night #297
For this OLN at d’Verse, I’d like to share one of the last poems that I wrote before I started adding images to all of my blog posts (which is something that all bloggers should do if they want to attract readers). I wrote this poem in late of October of 2020; it’s got a bit of a surreal flavor to it.
The photo that I found to accompany the poem is that of a person floating in the Dead Sea… it feels perfectly suited to the poem – it’s not a work of surrealist art – but rather an actual photograph.
The Skeptic's Kaddish ๐ฎ๐ฑ 
Excellent wordplay.
๐ Thanks, Ken! ๐
Great one and this stanza…
๐๐๐๐โฃ๏ธโฃ๏ธโค๏ธ๐ท
As my eyes recognize them
And my selfs humanize them
I realize now
that the stranger
in my mirror
is me
๐๐ฅฐ๐ Cindy ๐๐ฅฐ๐
๐๐คโฃ๏ธ๐๐คโฃ๏ธ
Oh I like so much about this….the rhyme and rhythm has a hint of slam and must be enjoyed aloud. You’ve captured that mysterious and curious feeling of reflection vs. perception. We can be strangers to ourselves. Something I’ve always struggled with is not knowing if who I think I am is what others truly see. That may be a whole other poem and a half. Thought-provoking piece, David.
I deeply relate to that feeling, Mish.
Thank you โค
-David
You are a “word master” … loved this.
๐ณ you are so kind, Helen ๐ณ
Shabbat shalom,
David
This has so much tension, and of course I like the wordplay. You are so good with layers of meaning. (K)
I like my poetry like I like my religion: complicated!
Poetry, religion, life, emotions, all complicated.
And my tendency to overthink everything too ๐
That opening stanza is echoing around my mind……
๐ thank you for that, Kim – it really makes me glad to know ๐
Shabbat shalom,
David
๐
Davidโฆ๐ญ๐ญโค๏ธ
๐ Madhavi ๐
lots of hugsโค๏ธโค๏ธ
I love the surreality and the word-play. Though we may look at our reflection in a mirror, do we really recognise ourselves? Who do we see when we look within? My favourite types of question ๐
๐ Ingrid ๐
Thank you so much, David ๐
๐ Kaushal ๐
Love the flow and pace of this piece David! It’s fantastic; haunting and mesmerising! ๐๐
“Swift pacing, mind racing
Dreams fleeted yet chasing
Depleted, now seated,
Truth meted to me”
Lines above capture that for me! ๐
๐ Ken ๐
Well done David… Love your great ending!
๐ Dwight ๐
Visual
Very much so โฃ๏ธ