Ode to Dysfunction

Where-ever the love has gone

They followed it as it slowly petered out

Not noticing that the fizzling flame

Led them through ever stranger backdrops

The ever-changing, twisted faces of situation

Colouring the subliminal with their marsh-light

Of subverted emotion and ever-ebbing trust

Until they see a war in every wandering word

And fear flickering in the heart of every flame

And both are blind and each follows the other

In ever decreasing circles of dysfunctional dependence

Coming to each other as a cripple to his crutch

In love and loathing and acceptance and necessity

Joined in joyful, angry, tender hatefulness

Trapped inside the exquisite cage of union

They imprisoned themselves even while they held the key

And found dysfunction is the hardest jailer to escape

So each destroyed this other they could never leave

Slowly peeling away the grim decaying layers of soul

And in the belly of Charybdis they were brought together

Woven closest in the moment of death

Grasping firmly the cause of their woe

Blinded by the confusion of familiarity

Denying their loathing, even while they rely on it

For this loveful hate, this hateful love,

Has become everything they know

Their very selves defined by that which they seek to lose

This illness they cannot conquer but dare not treat

A flame which burned on long after the fuel seeped away

And now they must swallow the ashes

And hope for a phoenix in the embers

Reviews

[Moonflower]

This has truly and utterly defined the vicious cycle of dysfunctional love. I have seen it grow and spread its toxins throughout my life, first with my own parents and then with others that I have come to know. This was painted with vivid and reliable language, extremely well written and expressed.

[luciddreamer]

"coming to each other as a cripple to his crutch"...ah this says it all...thank you thank you thank you...I really needed to read this right now :)

Peace
Robin

[An owl on the moon]

There is a stunning feel here... that of vines wrapping tight around... pulling you down... Darkness and pain sting in the honesty, though your last line extends that touch of hope in phoenix flames...

[.]

"Blinded by the confusion of familiarity
Denying their loathing, even while they rely on it
For this loveful hate, this hateful love,
Has become everything they know"
~your poetry is so impressive!
i really enjoy reading your art.
u have a expressive poetic noir-
i mean so much deep neo-expressionism.
(one doesn't see that often these days)
u have an acumen for mixing realism and surrealism
in you allegorical/metaphorical descriptions that makes
your work such an impressionable-impressive read...
(great work !)

:)

[Dani]

My, my, this is a stab and twist in the stomach. Instead of keeping control of their love, they let the love control them. The descriptions of the places they mindlessly stumble into are immaculate. Very dark, very mysterious as all of these things contort the thoughts in the two lovers minds until the hatred seeps through, and all that's left is a mix, as you said, between hatred and love. I especially love the last two lines: "and now they must swallow the ashes and hope for a phoenix in the embers." There's so much in this poem... the words are so tangible, I could pick apart every letter and find something of substance in the spaces. Definitely my favorite, by you.

[.]

. oh, this stings and stabs ... brilliantly written ... and seasoned with some amazing instances of alliteration ... and you helped me be a bit more resilient today in my acceptance of the word "dysfunction" ... else i find it a bit discriminatory ...

. i dunno what happens to people ... i dunno how relationships degenerate ... but i do think relationships become irretrievable easily ... or so those in it feel ... in india ... at least ... on closer inspection ... i find that it's because one person is abused more than the other and in need of a rescue ... and the other person thinks being a silent spectator is being supportive enough ... whatever the case might be ... what is most distressing is that people don't sit down and talk ... if they talk ... even if they don't agree ... at least they can step out of the relationship and seek one that is not "dysfunctional" ... but they remain trapped ... for me ... this poem drives the reader towards that conversation ... if it's needed in their lives ... and that's why it's incredibly powerful ... it forces the reader to face the difficult-to-negotiate dimensions of the relationship they might be in ... this poem tears the mask of pretensions ... after reading it ... one can't walk away thinking ... oh, this can't be about me ... or ... oh, this hardly happens ... this is super relevant stuff and superbly written ...