Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Fading Substance



Show them, hold them ransom
To thy conceit, craving gapes, wild applause
To feed thy vanity absent which leaves thee bare

Replete with faux auras, hankering for more
All style, substance fading
Vacant shells roll on clonking, hollow

Growing emptiness, insatiably
High on self, low on all else
Fueling manic growth of voids

Inner tears roll on concealed
Streaking the soul’s cheeks
Grief belied by lionizing fans

Whose own vacuums solicit thy refills
All the while, substance goes begging
Craving fusion with thy essence

Lending meat to weary bones of self
Opening eyes, hitherto blinded
By venomous pride, walls of exclusion

Crumbling, at the mercy of thy pride’s chisel
Fecklessly claiming, the soul’s attention
Pride now vital, an existential must

Love not spared the ravages of pride
Now turned outside in
Ne’er inside out, for beloveds

To exult over thy highest blessing
Filling life with hunks of meaning
For joys to be soulful

And souls to be joyful
Melting away the gloom
Of Vanity’s seasons of toxic harvest




 
©Alwi Shatry, September 7, 2017

26 comments:

  1. I feel the closing is what soothes me best... maybe we can all get over the toxic part of being left.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some very nice stuff here - really like the emotion of 'pride's chisel' and 'vanity's season of toxic harvest' Thanks for sharing this Alwi

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is so potent. Especially like; "Love not spared the ravages of pride. Now turned outside in ne’er inside out, for beloveds."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Always happy to have you here Sanaa. Glad you liked it.

      Delete
  4. Toxic harvest. What a fabulous closing to a fabulous poem.

    This is my favorite part:
    "Grief belied by lionizing fans
    Whose own vacuums solicit thy refills"

    ReplyDelete
  5. The rhythm of this poem gives off lots of energy, which underlines your words nicely.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Especially like:
    Love not spared the ravages of pride
    Now turned outside in...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thick rich language

    ReplyDelete
  8. I did not understand this, but I found this line interesting: "High on self, low on all else"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You hit at the heart of the poem, Frank. In fact that was what got it going. Thank you.

      Delete
  9. Quite a strong commentary on pride and how it keeps us selfish and apart from others. I do appreciate the positive note at the end. There's always room for betterment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Always room for betterment indeed. Thank you.

      Delete
  10. This reads like an exploration to one's internal journey ~

    I specially like: And souls to be joyful
    Melting away the gloom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for gracing me with a visit and a comment, Gace.

      Delete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's good to rid ourselves of anything toxic in our lives.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good write. Also, good use of the "old language."

    ReplyDelete