War

I have felt the sting of disappointment.

I have known what it is to be betrayed.

I am no novice in the art of war.

For everyday there is

within me a war waged over my soul,

Between the demons

and angels

     that inhabit my head.

I am no novice in the art of battle

For everyday there are small

Battles fought within myself.

Whether or not

To get out of bed

Procrastination or

Productivity

Put myself out there or

 Hide from eyes that might see

   what really lies behind mine.

No. I am not new to battle or war.

I have lost as many as I have won.

And for that reason

I fight on.

Reviews

[Tony Jordan]

I like the resilience in this - the tenacity that comes from having a fighting spirit is writ large here.
There is a weariness - a wisdom too that says - 'I don't like war, I'm not a war-monger but I will not shirk if it comes to my door'.
Strong write.
The formatting - almost cloud or smoke like in places - makes me think of the metaphor - 'The fog of War'.
Good job Kate8.

[mark.simondi]

This is a very nice piece.

The staggering in stazas 3 and 6 came across as dream-like or pulling the reader away from reality or a downward pull.

The spacing in stanza 4 give dramatic pause.

The only critique I have is with the ending. It is a bit cliche. I think it would be more effective/impactful if instead of telling me that the speaker fights on I was shown how she fights on.

Once again, great job!

[Kate Napoli]

Thank you so much for the feedback! And I'm glad you liked the formatting, I was worried the feel of the poem might get lost in it