Like a pebble
Dropping in the lake
Creating never ending circles
as does your love
Wrapping around me
Drawing me back
Into the zone of danger
It was as if written
we belonged together
But when one agenda
differs from the other
Holding in hostage
Then that isn’t love
It is you, a stranger
Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing ©
Word Prompts:
Zone - WotD
Pebble - RDP
Written - FOWC
Image by Rondell Melling from Pixabay
Trying to untie
the macramé
of my thoughts
Knotted every
which way
Tightly bound
and resistant
to my attempts
All I can do is hope
for a fray
The more
I struggle
the more it stings
Words no longer
coherent
A jumbled mind
looking for release
from this
cloud covering
obscurant
Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing ©
Prompts
Sting
Coherent
Go Dog Go Cafe - Promote Yourself Monday
You came to me
In the flash of an eye
A port in stormy weather
Seeing your face
Knowing instantly
We would be together
Wilderness days
and nightmares
slowly fading away
As we meld into one
a clear horizon and
the future in play
Yet moments of darkness
confuse and stun
From where do they come?
To understand, impossible
Explanations insufficient
Yet I always succumb
Blindsided by the rage and
struggling to compromise
It was impossible to prepare
Prone to such anger
with no prisoners taken
Reminiscent of warfare
Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing ©
Frank Hubeny is hosting Open Link Night at DVerse
National Poetry Writing Month
Day 18 - April 18th
NaPoWriMo
Today, I’d like to challenge you to write an elegy of your own,
one in which the abstraction of sadness is communicated not
through abstract words, but physical detail. This may not be
a “fun” prompt, but loss is one of the most universal and human
experiences, and some of the world’s most moving art is an
effort to understand and deal with it.
Word Prompts:
Reminiscent
Compromise
Prone
Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash
Her mind full of dread
She had taken the walk
to clear her head
No more cheap talk
It was the reason she fled
The route had taken her
to a place unrecognized
She was now unsure
and feeling polarized
What was the lure
The wicked chill of the night
Did little to clear her thoughts
The dismal shroud of fright
Still tying her in knots
She was feeling the vicious bite
Taking leave to find her grace
And reach some reason
Lost in time and place
She exorcised the demon
Gone without a trace
Christine Bolton – Poetry for Healing ©
Word Prompts:
The events of these recent days
A frightening mix that will abrase
happiness once there
A crushing blow
that dulls the glow
and emotions are laid bare
Abstract havoc in my head
Manifesting in explosive dread
Where is the opening?
A way outside
That can provide
My sanity is beckoning
Two heads in a collision
Distorting one’s vision
The direction has been lost
Communication inconsistent
An approximation insufficient
When stars have been crossed
Christine Bolton – Poetry for Healing ©
Word Prompts
OctPoWriMo – Poem a Day #24 – Opening
Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash
The barometric pressure of the day
Is wreaking havoc in my mind
Confusion a familiar companion
On my journey of unpredictability
A feeling of hopelessness
Covering me in a dark shroud
Dragging me into its damp pit
of gloom and I go with docility
Clarity nowhere to be found
As I stumble on rocks of desperation
Blindly searching for reasons why
I am living a life of vulnerability
Spiraling downward out of control
Reaching for something to break my fall
Slipping and sliding all the way
Down into the declivity
My ascent from the chasm
Hindered by despondency
Hope cruelly mocking me
Wishing to drown exquisitely
In time the greyness of the sky pacifies
Pulling me slowly from the blackness
The accompanying wind pushing me up
So that I may breathe sanguinity
Christine Bolton – Poetry for Healing ©
Word Prompts:
OctPoWriMo – Poem a Day #12 – Tortured
Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash
Her perfume redolent
in the night air
as she walked
to the water
alone
with ne’er a care
What was blue
had become black
with no warning
In a heartbeat
she had been knocked
on her back
Without substance
an accusation held
Lies spread
in wildfire
her dignity at risk
she was compelled
His rebuke cruel
and unfounded
confrontation inevitable
Waiting by the shore
calm and present
his demeanor unbounded
Confusion existed
stretching distance between
Eyes locked
apology offered from
him to her
she began to careen
Caught in his arms
was a natural state
The darkness lifted
memory vanished
in a flash
like it never existed
Christine Bolton – Poetry for Healing ©
Word Prompts:
The anger finally subsided
We have gone to different places
The storm raged furiously
You showed so many faces
Feeling shell-shocked
Confusion took its stranglehold
Not knowing which end is up
I feel uncontrolled
Divide and conquer
Who is running this game
We are weakened by this strategy
Our sanity to reclaim
Tempers are tempered
Thoughts to clarify
Where does the fault lie
When we both feel the need to justify
Do not stand in judgment
We are equally to blame
We have forgotten the rules
Of this stupid game
An inexplicable calm
Eventually filled the room
A sense of loss came over me
Dismal and doom
You’re no longer here
I am lonely for you
Lets stop this now
I am melancholy and blue
Christine Bolton
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In response to Fandango’s one one word challenge: Judgement
Pedigree
You do what you always do
When confusion fills your head
The pain in your gut is real
And I begin to fear with dread
The cross hairs of your frustration
Had me squarely in its sight
You took aim and fired
I fell victim to its flight
You were doing what was taught
The apple does not fall far from the tree
Your mother’s anger toward you
Is now aimed at me
It causes such pain in our lives
But you cannot help your ancestry
No more than I can
Because this is our Pedigree
The lessons were taught
When we were so young
We have to break the cycle
Before more harm is done
The family tree is responsible
For more than we would care to choose
Our lineage defines us
And it is not so easy to lose
Christine Bolton
The Dark Mind
Why is it possible for someone, who appears to have everything, to be depressed? Why does this happen to people who, to those looking in, seem so happy and content with their lives?
At times in our lives we have all experienced a form of depression and for the most part we understand what has been the cause. Severe emotional distress can send us spiraling downwards. While some of us manage to bounce back from isolated incidents with rational thinking and processing, many cannot do so. Depression can manifest itself in many different ways and is easily mistaken for tiredness, laziness and even rudeness. Finding any one thing to pinpoint the cause of depression can also be confusing for the sufferer. Like many other disorders, clinical depression falls on a continuum, from mild to moderate to severe. A mildly depressed person might feel badly a lot of the time but manage to keep up appearances, whereas a severely depressed person often can’t drag himself or herself out of bed.
I too have had moments of deep sadness, loneliness and confusion but I was fortunate in that I found my way out of the tunnel by writing. I do know someone who suffers from inexplicable depression at times. They find it difficult to explain to non-sufferers and would like nothing more than to be free of those dark feelings.
Below is a poem that I wrote some years ago to describe how I was feeling. It was a confusing and difficult time for me. The writing helped and I encourage anyone struggling with feelings of sadness to do the same. It does not have to take the poetic form; it can be a journal entry where you just let the pain or confusion you are feeling to spill on to a page. I always find it beneficial to keep writing and not stop until I have exorcised all my thoughts. Depression however is a very serious condition and I do not want to make light of it. If you know of someone who is suffering with depression or anxiety please urge him or her to get professional help.
I hope in some small way that you will find this helpful.
Thank you for reading.
Christine
The Dark Mind
I wake with the cloud over my head
I think perhaps it is fear
Which sucks me into the abyss
Where it is impossible to navigate
The way back to sanity
I do not understand
I’m not sure what to do
I must leave this place
And exorcise these feelings
Of impending disaster and failure
My gloomy thoughts need obscurity
The desire for solitude calls me outside
To the soothing blackness of the night
A chill is in the air
And the rain falls in silence
Darkness comes quickly, consuming me
Casting a shadow on the beauty
That is my life
I walk quickly bracing against
The unexpected sudden chill
Collecting the somber thoughts in my head
I ask why does this happen
When everything is so perfect?
There is no reason for my complicated state
So why do I have to carry this albatross on my back?
With a resentful tolerance and
Comprehension of my shortfalls
I accept what is not perfect in me
Knowing there is no explanation
So I will send this unwanted burden on its way
Christine Bolton