Poem: "Romantic Destitution" by Jeremy Void

Romantic Destitution
Jeremy Void

Down the rabbit hole
I fall
scraping together
every last remanence
of my
lost
existence

I remember the fire
that burned through
tunnels
of vision
the vicious rat race
that traced the edges of
dark & light
the flashes of lightning
striking the cold city streets
as the thunderous rock ‘n’ roll
kicked out windshields
of passing cars
the screech of horror movies
and comic relief
the donuts we did
in the dust we skirmished
in the sky
we soared
in the ground we lay
on rooftops we fought
just to find reason
to prolong our useless days

But we fell
hard
down pits of glory
carved our identities
in the caves of atrophy
We learned by destruction
the lonely streets
our tutors
Where disillusionment wandered
an obtuse reality
simmered in the sun’s glory
We were the ashes
of the storm

Behind closed doors
we rose up just to fall
back down
existing in the corridors
of mental deterioration
We saw meaning
beyond
the irrational
reason to extend our truths
upon a losing race

I look back at a time
that I cannot aptly describe
and part of me is glad
that it’s over
but the other part is wishing
to feel the romantic destitution
one last time