Thursday, September 14, 2023

Poem: "Existential Dread Vortex" by Alan Lisanti

Existential Dread Vortex
Alan Lisanti


I rose to face the day again
Like autopilot fed to the vice grip of routine
Like an assassin as the undertow
Its greatest weapon is the element of surprise
You'll never anticipate it
Only in its aftermath does awareness
Serve to remind
Like forever waking up to it
With imaginary stitches in your eyes
Only to deter it through caution
Like the news man and the storm watch
And the precautionary State Of Emergency
And you become the fickle fallout shelter
With boarded windows
Repeating for eternity
With shakey words
"I'm certain I'll survive"
My smile is a failsafe
Encouraged by and at war with the madness
See the wood splintered and ravaged still
See the roof peeled back
Like sardine cans on a mountain of garbage
And the elements pour in
Unfiltered like poison directly into my mind
So the stillness follows the anarchy
But now the thickened fog clouds internal thoughts
It's a false tranquility
Anchored but vulnerable
In the storm's evil eye
So naturally, I told myself
"But I'm invincible"
And the sneak attack parley convinced me that I lied
So notably, I've learned that I'm susceptible
But free reign and dire consequences I've denied
Because my perception doesn't belong to you
I've got bare hands and lightning bolts
I'm not a product of design
I've got strong will and antidotes
Spilled ink and resiliency
A bleeding pen
And experience

No comments:

Post a Comment