In the wrong house of gold
The puppeteers have sold-
You their prospectus
Written words are but a fuss.
I sit alone
On the blacker couch of stone
Deprived of a pattern
Of a life bound to end in urn.
Asking what is real
A conscious denial
Lucid dreams- unspoilt
Disinterest on point.
Call to prayer compressed
Spiking note of waste
A horny man of faith
His presence reeks of bait.
Waiting by the tea
Reminiscent of a sea
Where the past meets a flair
But a constant despair
Is running through his sleep
Submerged, too deep.
No, I refuse to refresh
Overburdened by the flesh.
Sleeping is my key
To holler and to flee.
I'll be high on my dreams
And stop the poison streams.
~ Ithmam Hami, 16th July, 2023, 1.04 pm
Explication
This is the first time I've tried something new and experimental to do with hypnagogic poetry-writing. I was sitting in a bank awaiting my father one day. I was extremely sleepy for some reason which sent me in a trance state of mind where I was bouncing between experiencing a hazy, and dreamy atmosphere and trying to stay conscious at the same time- because well, falling into sleep in a bank I've never been before or in a bank, period, would be embarrasing.
I decided to write something, anything, right there and then. And this poem built up. The title of the poem is inspired by the famous Jackie Chan franchise 'Drunken Master' where it's shown how Jackie in his role of the protagonist acts out his martial arts arsenal as a Kung Fu Master despite being under a heavy influence of alcohol. Replacing the adjective with 'Sleepy', I only wanted to explore how much proficiency I can manage in poetry-writing while staying that sleepy.
You may think, since my strategy in case of this particular poem was almost experimental, there should be no coherent meaning behind the lines I wrote. On the contrary, there is a subtle social commentary undertone in the first verse of the poem which deals with a concise criticism of the capitalistic banking system. A spiritual and introspective take in the second last verse is also palpable. In the final verse, to top it off, the hypnagogic and almost psychedelic reflection of the period in which the poem was written becomes clear.
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Disconnect | A Poetry Chapbook
Poetry***FULLY PUBLISHED*** Disconnect is an amateur project I've undertaken to explore an experimental genre of art- "Hyonagogic Poetry"- a certain poetry-writing style focused on reflecting upon the subconscious aspect of reality. Although, I'm attempti...
