Some days
My world is draped in grey
The sun leaves me
To flounder in the darkness.
Some days
I feel like I'm nothing
Just worthless flesh that feels too much
My veins beg me to slice them open
And release the contempt and the shame.
But during those days
When the miasma of hate and the guilt
Threaten to asphyxiate me
I still find a way to breathe.
I dream up stories in my head
Broken fragments of a triumphant odyssey
Fanciful adventures in faraway lands
Faraway times and faraway dimensions.
And me the fallible yet lovable protagonist.
Through emerald green jungles
Past sticky swamps and bristling bushes
I trek all by myself.
Wading through jade pools alive with mysteries
And my bravery rewards me with
An ancient ruin replete with gold and jewels.
And then in a scene set in a palace of old times
The breathtaking splendour of the court
And how with my quick wit
I manage to escape the tyrant king's guillotine.
And then a story set in space
The boundless sky with the scintillating stars
And blinding quasars and comets and galaxies
Here, I help the alien populace
By tending with kindness to their dying ruler.
And my unusual beauty catches the eye
Of the flawlessly gorgeous alien prince
Who wants to make me his queen
(I refuse because I already
Am a queen without him)
And when I wake
From my illogical fantasies
I find that that I am not nothing after all
I'm my brightest sun
I'm my favourite hero
I'm my sharpest dagger
I'm my best plot twist.
And, yes, I deserve to be celebrated.
YOU ARE READING
NEPENTHE
PoetryHi there! The word NEPENTHE means anything that induces forgetfulness of sorrow or pain. I, for one, believe that little things like smiles, my mother's comfort food and long walks are the best forms of nepenthe around. These poems celebrate the s...
