Undefined Fears

Level with me.

Love, unrequited.

This flame; reignited.

Feelings?

Why fight it?

Undefined fears

Highlighted 

Retracing mistakes

With a finely, sharpened

Pen

Destroys the ivory goddess 

The end

Author's Note

Or is it the beginning?

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I love your poem. Usually I don’t love short poems, but in this case, you packed so much into it. That’s what makes a short poem work for me . . . words that evoke so much more than the actual message . . . drawing scenes in the reader’s mind. I spent so many of my younger years going back to people I once left. It never works out. I needed to trust my first inclination. But we keep thinking something might be different this time. Going back to some oaf that didn’t work out is truly like slaughtering one’s sense of self . . . or as you astutely call it “the ivory goddess” . . . Each person must decide if it’s the beginning or the end. I hope it’s the end of people who don’t keep my spark alive (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Laurierose]

I have to agree with you. Back tracking down heart ache lane is a road of familiarity...and familiar ache. The reminder of love is what keeps up hopefully moving forward. Thanks for the review!

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

beautifully written strong short piece of work, thanks for entering my greatest fear comp

[Laurierose]

I appreciate it! Thank you for the sincere review.

[00000000000000000000000..]

Very well said couldn't agree more:) Fear to me is like looking in the Joker's face and laughing at him not him laughing at me. It's only a mere illusion. I don't dance with the devil I face him and all head on!

[Laurierose]

Exactly! We shouldn't waver in the face of fear, but stand firm with a look of determination. Thank you for the sincere review!

[0000000000000000000000000000]

Your very welcome

[John the Baptist]

You can feel the conflict beneath the words in this one. I get the sense the speaker has been burned before, possibly by the individual who has "reignited" the flame. The speaker is ambivalent, both impassioned by and wary of the reawakening. The second verse reveals the way it is going to go. Though the pain still remains, there will be no "retracing," because love must not be restrained lest it die out. All I can say is, good luck.

PS: In verse 2, it would go more smoothly if you deleted the comma after "finely."

[Laurierose]

No good comes from revisiting what was never good for us in the first place. Thank you for the sincere review.

[Chris]

We don't chose whom we love - just whom we like ...even when it's our selves. And I am being level.

[Laurierose]

Ah, you highlight a great point. We cannot pick and choose emotions or wear them like accessories. Thank you for leveling with me and the kind review.

[Chris]

We - you OR I - don't DO kind do we...just thought-full and real.

[Laurierose]

Absolutely. Honesty is the best policy.

[‘Thoughts In Time..]

Hmm- why fight it? Yes - sometimes better to let it fall where it must, not pretending or preventing or trying to make someting that’s meant to or not meant to be- just let it be- the outcome is the best it should be- not always easy as things don’t always go like we want it- wonderful emotion full and talking to self- love it🌹

[Laurierose]

You make a great point. There's something cathartic about writing about the self. Thank you so much for the review.

[‘Thoughts In Time’🌹]

Many thanks and always a pleasure🌹

[Ajh]

I love this! Short poems with such meaningful words are the best.

[Laurierose]

I appreciate this. Thank you for the kind words.

[Lavi]

"The end is where we begin" -TFK

Love, unrequited.
This flame; reignited.

I love the way you began this poem. So few words and it's not straight-forward at all and yet it is clear what you are expressing.

Undefined fears

I like the way you phrased this. It reminds me of how difficult it is for me to find the right words when trying to express a feeling when telling a story to someone. I always say I can't use certain words anymore because so much has been re-defined lately. For example, I can't even say I'm fine anymore because Fine has been redefined into an acronym, for those who recognize it as: Fucked Up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional.

I also like how you added in Retracing mistakes to begin the second stanza. It shows why we hesitate but in the end, as you put it, why resist?

[Laurierose]

I'm glad you enjoyed reading this. I love the existentialism of the quote you've inserted here. I understand your perspective of the undefined. Often, what is already defined doesn't do justice to the soul. Thanks for the sincere review.

[Lavi]

Hmm, perhaps that's why they say the eyes lead to the soul… because it's where we're often the most expressive - which is emotion but more raw than 'the heart' and why emotions are often so difficult to express into words. I doubt very few things could truly express the soul but we can try, right? And no problem, I like leaving good lengthy reviews when I can - particularly to good writing.

Existentialism - I'm adding that to my vocabulary now, I had no idea that was a word, what am I doing with my life? Thousand Foot Krutch is pretty good at creating existentialistic quotes but “the end is where we begin” is not only my favorite album of theirs but that quote alone became my motto years ago when I probably needed it most and I’ve never grown tired of it. I think you’ve expressed it really well here, too.

[Laurierose]

I agree, it's very constructive leaving lengthy reviews. I feel appreciative for that. Yes, the eyes lead to the soul, though looks are deceiving. This is what I like to say because often those windows can be so weathered all we see is reflection of that cloudiness. This make finite words tricky when defining the eyes.
Existentialism. This is also a portion of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence. Existentialism generates questions such as, "To be or not to be?"

[Lavi]

Reminds me of one of my poems: Bulletproof Window. Where the eyes lead to the soul but we know it so we have to decide whether we tint those windows or let it be clear. Good to know too, I prefer one word over a sentence description. Even if it is a word with many syllables.

[Final-Karma]

Short poems are always such a fascinating concept to me as they can allow for such expression and wonder in short form. I really enjoy this piece. It flows effortlessly and just feels right. Thank you for sharing.

[Laurierose]

I agree, short works may hold many meaning.Thank you so much for the kind review, my friend.

[Kay]

I agree with the comments below, you capture a wide range of experience in few words. I especially like the image of "Retracing mistakes/ With a finely, sharpened/ Pen". It emphasizes how we can recognize an error, but repeat it in the same way we made it. Nice poem.

[Laurierose]

Thanks so much for the kind review. Retracing anything for a number of time will only make the paper weak. Nothing possitive comes from it.

[Kay]

True, even to the point of ripping through it. You're very welcome. =)

[Ghost]

We make our own beginnings and our own endings so I say if you want it so bad make it a new beginning and forget what was... Reach out and take it by the horn and don't let go... Thanks for sharing this poem

[Laurierose]

I like the assertiveness! Absolutely, we have ultimate control of our stories. Thanks for the kind review.