Monday, March 3, 2014

(Dar)Win





The high after I spent
What felt like 7 days & 6 nights without a fix
When I was alone in wishing I had the power to heal
Kissing my feet won't do you any good

You could call my addiction
Evolution while you wear your
Bible belt upon your sleeve

You let me live
With the fact that I'll never stop
Fighting this battle
Though I won't ever win


You let me rest
Not on your scars
Though they are smooth
Like Egyptian cotton
Or even low thread count sheets
Yet to be used

Your arms are still
My armor




©2014 Anthony Desmond Scott. All Rights Reserved.

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58 comments:

Brian Miller said...

your arms my armour...nice...so is that the arms of a person or poetry you wear like armor...the whole addiction scene in the first part...i can relate...as well with dealing with those whose bible belt is on their arm...or in their hand to beat the devil out of me, you know....

Claudia said...

the arms still the armor... a lot of fighting - mental fighting going on here... and that last stanza ...touched me especially.... the letting you rest not on scars even though smooth like egyptian cotton...

Claudia said...

and looking forward to your prompt..smiles

brudberg said...

Scars like Egyptian cotton.. A battle that you cannot win.. Strong words here.. A very touching poem Anthony,. I look forward to the pub tonight ..

Glenn Buttkus said...

Terrific juxtaposition here, as poetry & your life collide, and we become the recipients of your war within; nice illustration of your prompt, sir.

Anonymous said...

I didn't see this as so dark Anthony. I thought the poem worked well. >KB

Grace said...

I felt the steady arms of the loving parent ~

I too love the ending - Your arms are still
My armor

Abhra said...

"Your arms are still
My armor"

Very well done - greatly inspiring.

Maureen said...

I like the ambiguity in that final couplet. Excellent ending to the poem.

Linda Rogers said...

Loved how you used positive and negative images together to bring out the meaning. I feel like the loved one is your loving parent who is struggling with the pains of addiction. Well done Anthony. Be by later to drop a poem.

Mary said...

I am with those who love the ending. "Your arms are still my armor" is such a grounding for your words.

Laura said...

Your arms are still my armor… we all seek protection from our fears… yet they seep in anyway.

Anonymous said...

beautiful write, it's refreshing to read poets laying it all out with subtlety. Well done
amy

Anonymous said...

apparently i can't spell

RMP said...

it's not easy to wake up every morning to fight the same battle over and over again; having the armor -- whatever form it comes in...whoever may be wearing it -- is crucial. beautifully written.

Gabriella said...

Very strong imagery in your poem, Anthony! I like the idea of the battle that cannot be won and your closing couplet.

Unknown said...

lol. it's all good

ayala said...

Your arms are still
My armor..love that and this poem brought me back to the other day when I was told about a thirty year old dying from heroin. Strong and great poem.

Kenia Santos said...

Oh my, this last stanza is a killer. Super beautiful. <3

Lupita said...

This is a very elegant poem Anthony. I really like the metaphors, especially the Egyptian cotton scars vs the low thread count sheets - very nice contradiction there. I at first though that you were speaking of a literal addiction, but then I thought perhaps your "addiction" was a heresy to the Bible believing faith of your loved one, perhaps a belief in evolution or some divergence in thought or philosophy that was euphoric for you. Sometimes it is best to just let it rest, because what matters most is the love for each other, and I sense that here too.

Anonymous said...

maybe some battles aren't meant to be won? ~

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Anthony....arms of armor...i too appreciate your transparency; that's how i utilize my poetry....to reveal.
Thank you!

Walt Wojtanik said...

Living to "battle" another day wins the war one day at a time. Brilliantly penned, Anthony!

Victoria said...

Stunning write, Tony. Like you, I find a lot in writing and reading dark poetry. This speaks so well to the struggle we all face that seems to birth so many great poems.

HisFireFly said...

and I'm leaning as well
on the everlasting arms
love this piece Anthony!

Ron Shields said...

the collision of life and poetry - and the result is powerful poem about the the human spirit.
~ron

Beachanny said...

Reeled it in at the end - all that smooth musicality, all that compulsion, all that addiction - one has to lay it there and you certainly did. Kudos kiddo!

Ginny Brannan said...

Stopping in to read a bit. Had to comment, I really liked this piece a lot--your choice of metaphor; the ambivalent feel in the reference to "bible belt;" the reference to scars which may be religious in nature, or perhaps alluding to figurative or literal scars in someone you care about. I love a piece that reads differently each time read. You certainly do that well here.

I did not post today, but wanted to share my writing also was borne from the 'darker' side. I've found writing to be a therapeutic and creative way express those raw and deeper emotions. Though do not dwell in that dark space, I frequently draw from it when I write.

Again, thanks for sharing. Wonderful piece!

Hope said...

strong yet staggering! i'm with the rest on the couplet 'your arms are still
my armour' breathtaking!

Bodhirose said...

I like how you showed the opposing thoughts of Biblical followers with Darwin and his theory of evolution. I guess that is a "war" that some are swept up in. Thank you, Anthony, for a thought provoking prompt tonight.

Anonymous said...

Cool resolution in that last line

Reflections said...

Powerful, yet elusive... strong ending to pull it all back within the armour. Great write

Myrna R. said...

Your words and thoughts are so strong. They demand to be heard by the reader. I really admire your talent, your courage to write what hurts.

Cressida de Nova said...

There is alway an imprint on us from our ancestors. It is a lucky person who happens to like their particular stamp:)

avalon said...

Liked your title pun.
What a prompt you hit us with :-)
I'm still reeling from the self realization that I am using my so-called poetry merely as self defence and hardly ever to create a thing of beauty.. Is that self indulgence or wisdom?

Anonymous said...

Power in your words and indeed your close Anthony. Poets must have the conviction to bleed and w can all relate to the addiction in one form or another.

Anonymous said...

*we

Kathy Reed said...

I commend you on the flow of this poem; it certainly tells us how vulnerable you felt without the arms of the person important to you around you..parents, woman, whomever...battles of addiction of any kind are very hard to win...the nature of the beast ...

Aishwarya Magesh said...

That was beautiful........... Yes we have a determination to fight......... for our life till the last.......

vivinfrance said...

I like your resolve, and your evolution - so young, you have the time for it to grow.

marbles in my pocket said...

I think we are each a culmination of our days. Evolving is part choice, part effect. The only way it will not continue, is if we quit.
Excellent write, Anthony. Very passionate.

The Drugstore Notebook said...

A very difficult situation to convey, yet you do so beautifully. Nice!

James Rainsford said...

Inspirational prompt and your poem exemplifies it to perfection. Great write!

vb holmes said...

"You could call my addiction
Evolution while you wear your
Bible belt upon your sleeve"
Interesting words to think on, Anthony. Thanks for the good prompt.

TCPC said...

The healing, the process, the evolution! very nice

Wolfsrosebud said...

welcome aboard... thanks for stepping in... hope you're standing when the battle is done... it's just begun... best wishes

Michael said...

I did like the conclusion but also I like the idea that life's experiences all contribute to make us who we are and giving us such a wonderful pool of life from which to draw our writing.

Anonymous said...

Hey Anthony--it is quite wonderful if another's arms can shield us. That's lovely. k. (Ps - thanks for cool prompt.)

kaykuala said...

In one's moments of despair there is always the someone who can provide the solace. It is a refreshing feeling! Wonderful write Desmond!

Hank

kaykuala said...

Beg your pardon, it should be Anthony!

Anonymous said...

I love your use of metaphors but what touched me was those arms are still your armor. Excellent prompt to make us evaluate where we are now...it is a year this month I started my blog. Thanks for this prompt :) Oliana

The Bizza said...

"You let me live
With the fact that I'll never stop
Fighting this battle
Though I won't ever win"

That really grabbed me because not only is that a microcosm for addiction, but also for the very nature of our daily struggle for life. I once asked a 90y/o man if he needed me to help him to his mailbox. He smiled and said, "it's OK, sonny. Ain't none of us getting out of here alive!" Then he continued his slow March to his mailbox.

Your words reminded me of that moment. I suppose we're all fighting a losing battle when you think about it....

Abruvanamedsly said...

Your arms are still
My armor


...so much power in these words...felt. Thanks for the prompt...ONE::

Anonymous said...

Strong, strong - addictive words there, Anthony!

Anonymous said...

This sounds like quite the battle! You've created some wonderful imagery.

Maggie Grace said...

Yes! I so understand this...my interpretation of your words projected on my life. My husband is my rock on days when I want to be here and days when I don't. Deep and evocative writing.

Anonymous said...

Well .. smiles.. the last two stanzas have tenderness that changes the feeling of the poem from conflicted feelings at the beginning. Quite the evolution in this poem ;)

Lila

Anonymous said...

Hi Anthony, just dropped by to see how you are and how your writing was coming. Have a blessed Easter- K