Iphigene Here.
When we think of fantastical creatures we think of monsters that take the shape of horned horses, fire-breathing dragons, winged lions, and tiny long-bearded creatures. The magic cast upon us by our myths and fantasy literature bring to life monsters of both light and darkness. We think of monsters as either fiction or as something outside of us.
For today’s Poetry Friday as hosted by Becky Shillington of Tapestry of Words I’m sharing a original poem. I think of this as a spur of emotion poem. I wrote it after reading Benjamin Alire-Saenz’s novel called Last Night I Sang to the Monster. I felt that somehow my life and that novel merged not necessarily in the events but in the affective level. In this poem I talk of the monsters some of us carry around.
Monsters in the Darkness
by Iphigene
There used to be words in my heart,
written out that
sense be made in the chaos
that haunts every artery
But the words have gone
They’ve gone long ago
Opening doors for chaos, for darkness
For sadness and misery to fill the spaces.
They crawl up to the walls and unto the ceiling,
Filling every corner with their shadow
Shaking my heart and letting all sense
Disappear
Grasping, grappling
I try with words that are uttered
Forcefully with the ink of my dried out pen
I scratch paper surfaces gasping the breath
That can lead me back to the world of senses
And sanity, where one thing led to another
Where things are predictable
Where I am free of the monsters that
Live deep within my heart
But my words, like the calm
They brought were fleeting for
They reside not in the core, nor the arteries
Of my heart. They are but dust settling
On the surface, easily blown by chaos’s
Wind, leaving my soul in the caverns
Of pain where monsters lurk
Waiting until not even dust
Can keep me afloat and I may
Be taken by the shadow and their claws
—-
The dust settles no more, not now,
Not anymore. The pen scratches no more
The paper empty. And in the deepest darkest
Part o f my heart comes, slowly,
The creature of my nightmares
I lay waiting wordless,
Knowing
I am no more
But darkness.
I hope you enjoyed this original. Thanks for indulging me.
Gathering Books 
Iphigene, thanks so much for sharing your haunting and poignant poem. Robert Frost said that “A poem begins with a lump in the throat,” which is true, I suppose–but this one leaves me with a lump in my throat, too. It is amazing the depths of feeling that a good poem can explore!
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Hi Becky,
I remember writing this after reading the novel i mentioned on the post. I was so moved at the same time I could completely identify in the struggle of the character that this poem came to life. It’s definitely a lump in the throat. It’s always nice to know that i was able to convey what i was truly feeling.
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Your words are so filled, Iphigene, with emotion, with struggle, and in a strong, strong voice. You’ve offered a lot to ponder as I read it. Thank you for sharing.
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Hi Linda,
Thank you for taking the time to read this original. Like every original poem i post, I hesitate. I feel that every time I do share a poem, I share something very personal. Needless to say, the book that prompted this poem, hit me in the very dark and personal corners of my being. I am glad that my words was able to communicate that struggle.
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I especially like, “They are but dust settling
On the surface, easily blown by chaos’s
Wind” and the way poetry can be a plea for rationality (“where one thing led to another
Where things are predictable”)
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Hi Tabatha,
Thank you. When I wrote this, I was truly at the point in my life that I craved for rationality. i find comfort in the reason.
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Wow, Iphigene! Your poem is hauntingly powerful. I like your description of how you came to write it: “Spur of emotion”. =)
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Hi Briget,
Thanks for dropping by. I appreciate that you found this poem powerful. It was truly ‘spur of emotion.’ I often feel that poetry is alive and I am merely capturing the words in paper.
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Great poem!! 😀
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Thanks for this!
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Honestly, I have yet to read the novel you speak of, but this poem is tremendously fantastic. I write a lot, and a great majority of my pieces revolve around similar topics such as this. Although I am only fifteen years of age, I find this rather remarkable. I have studied much of the history of poetry in literature classes as well as in my own time, I have always been fascinated with the older ones, mostly because of the content and choice of words. In today’s time, we see original poetry, and some are very good, however a lot aren’t as (we will say) ‘creative’ with words, if you see what I mean. As if there are many different ways to describe something. Some ways are descriptive and maybe medaphorical to allow to see it a different way. A lot of poetry in today’s world lacks that. I don’t usually comment on stuff like this, but this poem is incredible and I’m very glad I found it. I’m also fond of your word choicing. So, thank you, for sharing this with the world. I’m sure others see it as brilliant as I do.
~Kira.
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Hi Kira,
First off, thank you for getting out of your usual non-commenting and taking the time to comment on this poem. Your comment made my day. I normally check our site in the morning and reading your thoughts on this poem made me smile. I am always grateful when people like what I have written. A lot of the newer poems—free verse—take for granted the importance of imagery, while free verse generally does without the strict structures (this include meter, rhyme, syllable count) it compensates with imagery. That is easier said than done. Even now, after writing poems for roughly about 15 years I still struggle with imagery and still working on my writing.
The novel I mentioned is hard to find, but if you write about things revolving around the topic that I wrote about in this poem, you might be interested in checking out the novel. Are you part of an online poetry site?
Anyway, good luck in your poetry and thanks again for sharing your thoughts. I’m really glad you enjoyed this one.
-iphigene
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i am not with a website, actually. However, I have been searching to join, if you have any recommendations for me. if you would like to speak further instead of us commenting back and forth *smiles*. Also, it pleases me that I was able to impact you in some way today.
I completely agree with what you say on imagery. I actually write music and work in musical theatre for the most part and write literature and poetry in spare time, but I am quite familiar with this concept.
Thank you again! And email me if you’d like. ~Kira.
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