Crumble

I felt myself crumbling inside those stone walls.
Strength meant nothing; the cement there,
Only to mend the stones for a few years time,
The stones, there to protect the rotting wood,
The house frame, infected by invisible devouring gnats.

The house looked strong, and to them,
That was all that mattered.
And they knew, that one major storm
Meant the walls could tumble down;
Babylon in modern day, modern time,
Modern world - unforgiving.

To start anew, meant ending beginnings.
No trees to plant, no shrubs to grow,
The soil infertile; to build a new house -
Nonnegotiable. And even if, in plentiful rain,
The grass grew, plants flourished, and palms erupted,
The rain would weigh down the harvestable wood.

More than ever, I felt myself caving in, shrinking, crumbling, inside those stone walls.
So close to an escape, the light on the edge of my finger tips,
Just enough to absorb a taste,
Yet, the vicinity light came was miles away,
Cooped up with the Doves and Eagles.

I felt myself degrading inside those stone walls,
Becoming one of them, one of the ones I feared to stand before.
I, the stalk of coffee bean, had caught the deadly virus
That sends the infected to the grave.
I was unable to save, unable to grow, unable to harvest.

I was crumbling, no, I am crumbling.
Still, years after realizing, I have done nothing to stop the infection,
I have only allowed it to absorb deeper into my roots,
I am crumbling to the same hand that brought the down fall of them;
The same hand of hatred, desire, and lust after revenge.

I am crumbling not just because of exposure,
But because I was too weak to set the abuse ablaze.
My consequence, I must pay,
To send myself to the flame; infect no more,
But, by my degrade, bring life to another.

Reviews

[paulina misiewicz]

I loved it! very interesting poem, deep; one of those that you should read few times only to find that its meaning is different each time and you could apply it to various things/ situations. It could be about conformity, letting go off things and past, living in an abusive home, it could have well be written from the inside of a prison cell. Just my interpretation and would love to hear what others think about this amazing poem! Great job!