Of Sepia and Brown

Where do you go

when the laughter leaves you,

how do you dance

when the music dies,

how do you survive

in an empty world

full of bones

and greed

and ignorance

playing pissing games into 

a howling wind,

the frown becomes normal

the smiles long gone,

and even the white-light inside

gets tainted

in shades of sepia and brown,

the hunger games have

fled me,

the anger poems remain

the substance and history

of fools and lost love

mis chance and misadventure

missed again and again,

a youth - long gone

old man too long

"waiting around to die"

rain licks the windows

of the dead writers poems

 tear stained and smeared

in shades of sepia and brown

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i am old now...have seen a lot....lived through the sixties, lots of turbulence.
Survived to now...but now is not a time i survived this long to get to.
the world is brown now...and our leaders are full of it...
and we are just pawns in an ugly game of chess that no one will win.
j.

[gram linski]

aye very true, j. worrying thoughts when the world's leaders are the craziest of the lot, with scant regard for us, always appreciate your visits

[Lydia Shutter]

Time for the world to burst forth in the colors of spring. Unfortunately, the older we get, the more sepia and brown we experience. Lately it seems things are going from bad to worse. Indeed I know my poetry has had a dark cloud pushing it along lately. Powerfully emotional poetry with great imagery. Lydi**

[gram linski]

thanks for the great review, Lydia, aye we all need a bit of colour in our lives, but nothing wrong without a bit of dark poetry now and again , appreciate the read

[AJNJ]

Sepia and brown...makes me think of days bygone when they had those sepia-tinted photographs but perhaps the world had brighter colours then. Perhaps there was more hope then than now. The last few months have brought with them a world deeply imbued in dark tones and it’s difficult to believe there will be better times ahead. I sincerely hope my outlook isn’t being affected by this isolation. Your words are very powerful in conveying despair.

[gram linski]

thanks for the review Pestonjee, it was those old photos that gave me the title with all the colours of life being bled out, , I would like to think that the core of humanity grows stronger in adversity, appreciate the read

[AJNJ]

Stronger yes and perhaps scarred. Maybe good scars...I appreciated this read very much. You're most welcome sir.

[Eilis]

Your inquiry is only missing the what and who to round out the line of questions that seem to be exploring existence itself. It occurred to me that these are implied and sort of part of the bones of the idea. What will come from this and who am I going to be seem to be the larger questions being asked in the poem.

The dull days break in and make everything feel off-colored at least some of the time. How to continue without becoming Dostoevsky’s nihilists seeking release in the ending of life seems to be the challenge of the lifetime. Finding meaning in a hostile world and hostile mind can be challenging. To lose the hunger for life and have it replaced with anger is easily a slip in to despair if things take a wrong turn. But as long as questions that seek answers in experience exist, we have something to keep driving us forward.

Your poem could apply to many situations. It’s kind of spooky sometimes how closely poetry can shift from one situation to another and hold or heighten its relevance. While not a plague poem, I think we can all feel the weight of this moment in time permeating from these lines.

Life ebbs and flows and it’s never easy to understand the purpose of much of our experience, but we retain our power to question and turn these things into art. And that is an act that reaches toward eternity. So with word-reaching, there is also hope. An affecting poem, Gram.

[gram linski]

hey, Eilis aye you are right, about that eternal quest for understanding of finding meaning in a hostile world, s**t smeared and disappointed, it was written awhile ago, but did seem relevant today, and your unerring capacity to see to the heart of things constantly surprises me, you always seem to see deeper than me, I appreciate you time and insightful thoughtful reviews always, Eilis

[Eilis]

You are welcome, Gram. I see what is there, if I manage to say something relevant, it is because the poem showed me. So it’s a collaborative process. Thanks for your kind words.

[gram linski]

you're welcome and thank you

[Ruth]

This touched me deeply Gram. It is a poem to resonate with many I would think, I am at a loss for words for once, just know this poem envelopes and consumes...brilliant.

[gram linski]

hey, Ruth, thanks so much for the great review, was actually written a while ago but does seem to apply to today's climate, thanks again for your kind words, much appreciated