Face Not the Dark Alone

#mentalhealthawareness

A murky mist malignantly

Expands and casts about

A winter of our discontent

As all the lights go out.

Shss! Shss!

The shadows softly moan!

Press on with care, but, foul or fair,

Face not the dark alone.

 

A monster haunts the dismal core,

Though visibly unclear.

He hovers in the musty air,

And feeds upon our fear.

Hrr! Hrr!

He means to seize your throne!

None should be shy with stakes so high-

Face not the dark alone.

 

The rain may pelt such icy storms,

The wind may fiercely blow.

Our gardens may be overgrown 

With weeds of ill and woe.

Crrck! Crrck!

The scourge of skin and bone!

No suffered pain need be in vain,

Face not the dark alone!

 

An ear would at a word be lent,

A hand be offered, too.

The world would at a word ensure

We from our bind break through.

Wsh! Wsh!

No heart is made of stone!

Lest you in Hell shall ever dwell,

Face not the dark alone.

 

Arise towards the gleaming sun!

Embrace your comfort zone!

For you shall find no peace of mind

Against the dark alone.

-EDP

Reviews

[Austin Wade Runyon]

Great imagery here. Good rhyme scheme. Dark and optimistic at the same time. Good work. Unity is key. Looking forward to more.

[emipoemi]

Glad you enjoyed it. Read at your leisure, that's what they're there for.

[Esteban Morfín]

I think you might be the first rhyme poet I've encountered here. Congratulations on an awesome poem!

[emipoemi]

we're very rare these days....you just have to know where to look. Thanks for reading.

[Ana Papaya]

Fantastic poem, Emi!
Sadly, at this moment so many are forced to do just that.

[emipoemi]

no kidding. glad you enjoyed it. thanks for reading.

[Kent Rawski]

nice poem that big word others using omapotopia or something like that does it refer to edgar allen poe? or just the darkness lol but youre speaking of an internal darkness and pointing the way out some have the other fear of really being in the dark common child fear I don't know if I am making any light of this but you are thanks

[emipoemi]

if I'm being perfectly honest, your comments were so convoluted I didn't know what you were saying half the time, but I gather it was all praise, and I thank you. To answer what I could understand from them: it wasn't my intention to emulate Poe here (although I do love The Raven). This is a special poem that you're right deals with an internal darkness, and the way to get out of it. But there are clues as to what this darkness is, and what the way out is. Let's see if you can find them (Hint....sometimes it's wise to not look in the most obvious places).

[Kent Rawski]

geez darkness closing in gloom glumly settling in that murky malignant mist my could it be depression

[emipoemi]

oooooh! That's part of it, but not the entire picture.

[Kent Rawski]

I can see clearly now the rain has passed

[Kent Rawski]

sorry about the poe crack I didn't understand the meaning then was meant as a joke as poe is known for dark things but wasn't apropos if I understand

[Heather]

Ahh I love this! As an aspiring clinical mental health counselor, the message here resonates so deeply with me. Nobody should have to go through turmoil and pain alone; simply by listening and being there we can lessen the burden, lighten the load.

[emipoemi]

Exactly....and by talking about it, it can also help in seeking the right counsellor. I've been suffering from my disorder for four years, now, and still trying to find the best therapeutic situation for my case (that's not completely exorbitant). So glad you enjoyed the poem. Thanks for reading :)

[barleygirl]

This is a fresh creative way to write a rant about the sad overall state of our world, without sounding dreary. The sad thing -- I thought this was written about the USA, but then I check & see you're from Canada, but I also see similar messages from others regarding a variety of countries & situations. Fighting the madness just brings on resistance & madness. Your poem shows a positive way & to me, that's how to approach writing about rampant ills (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[emipoemi]

I dare say I never thought my poetry to be THAT profound, but I'm glad that readers are finding other interpretations in them. This is actually about something much deeper than these "rampant ills" of the world.....and something a bit more personal. But I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

[barleygirl]

I can see the more focused view in your poem, too . . . thanks for reminding me to get off my habit of seeing the macro view *smile*

[jacob erin-cilberto]

"all you need is love" as the Beatles sang. We need more love, connection and peace. More of not being alone to face the world. And this piece reminds me somewhat of the Steppenwolf song "Monster"---"there is a monster on the loose, has its head into a noose and it just sits there watching"---how war, apathy and no-commitment drain our country...
we need to find comfort in ourselves and in each other...and strive to make the world better, not just be complacent with where and what it is.
a very thoughtful write.
j.

[emipoemi]

Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it.

(indeed we all must strive together to make the world better)

[Terra]

This poem is beautiful in a haunting way. It really does sound musical. I was imagining ghosts and shadows creeping the entire time reading it.

[emipoemi]

ooooh, it's something deeper than ghosts and shadows, my friend ;) But glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.

[H L Rose]

That first line is golden.

The imagery as well as the effect of the onomatopoeias are what stood out to me the most the first time I read this.

Each stanza offers a new image for the reader to hold on to as they consider it's significance and how it relates to the onomatopoeias. The onomatopoeias give further distinction to each line beyond the imagery. The reader is given not just more to see, but to hear as well.

The second time I read through it, the alliteration and word choice stood out to me and those are the aspects of the poem that continue to stand out to me and really pull me in.

As I already said, the first line is beautiful with both alliteration and fantastic word choice. Throughout the poem I enjoy just how well the alliteration is sprinkled about without being extremely heavy. The H's in the second stanza and the W's in the fourth stanza I especially find interesting yet unobtrusive. The word choice of the first stanza, line 2, stands out to me and I like how each stanza begins with a good display of word choice. I especially like the word choice in the first lines of stanzas 3 and 4.

This is a great poem!

[emipoemi]

......you really are a canalla inculta to not realize that Stanza 1 Line 2 is a reference - xp. One of Shakespeare's most famous lines to be exact. But, jokes and pokes aside, I'm so glad you enjoyed this! It was so much fun to write, and it deals with personal trouble, so it means a lot when people enjoy it. Thanks for reading!

[H L Rose]

Well shoot. I need to brush up on my Shakespeare

[Wyrn Tiger]

I dug too deep into the meaning of this one. Its dark and Im scared now

[emipoemi]

Perhaps.....for there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But thanks for reading.

[Wyrn Tiger]

Oh who I wish I was ever so dark. Oh wait I can be.Oh well. my vanity sanity has gone to peace all of the floor . Theirs writing on the walls, scratched into the halls and a chair blocks the door. my sleepless nights have taken their toll, laughing now as I stumble down this rabbit hole.

[Wyrn Tiger]

Wait that is not dark that is just crazy oh well like I said before oh well.