Holes by Michael Ray King
66
Holes
A best friend moved away
Dreary thoughts, dreary day
Hole in the soul like a missing tooth
Children never understand
A girlfriend’s kiss gone astray
Dreary thoughts, dreary day
Hole in the soul like a full gut-kick
Youth seldom understands
A wife’s cross words, emotions splay
Dreary thoughts, dreary day
Hole in the soul like a forgotten dream
Men rarely understand.
A child rebels in every way
Dreary thoughts, dreary day
Hole in the soul like a lost mint jewel
Fathers struggle to understand
A son or daughter abused at play
Dreary thoughts, dreary day
Hole in the soul like a hollow nail
Understanding fails to come
Emotional torture. Disgust. Dismay.
Dreary thoughts, dreary day
Hole in the soul like the absence of a mother’s love
I will never understand.
Holes was a very necessary poem to write due to the emotional proximity of the issues presented. Written as a birds-eye view of one person's life, Holes travels from grade school youth to disheartened adult. The tone is purposefully somber, as I desired the emotion to strike home - hard. Carrying the repetition throughout was important here as a representation of the trials and pain we suffer throughout our lives. Yes, good things happen as well, but carving out a focus for this poem satisfied a need to throw off despair by lending words to it.
Parenting presents a tough challenge to anyone who takes on the responsibility, but when more drastic aspects of life invade, parenting can become a weight that threatens to crush your spirit. The last three stanzas are no doubt the root of the despair residing within when the poem was penned. It's one thing to experience pain and grief on one's lifetime. It's quite powerfully another to witness suffering run through your children. This pain is exponentially compounded to any suffered on one's own.
A lovely young girl moved away when I was in third grade. She was such a good friend, I remember going to her house once and actually playing Barbie's with her. This is something I would never do, even with my own sisters, but she was special. I missed her for years and years.
My first real girlfriend in seventh grade ended up on a swing, late at night, with my best friend. The kiss that went astray was precursor to a fiance's kiss years later...
Most anyone who has been married any length of time can understand cross words and frayed emotions and at least a fleeting fear that marriage may have been a mistake. Thankfully (or hopefully) those times are rare and not too pervasive.
Teenage rebellion strikes parents as odd or unjustified or outright insanity, yet most of us went through the same stage in our lives. The main problem here is that the emotional nerves being played resonate more with fear and dismay for the well-being of our children and can tarnish the beauty with which we tend to see them. Disappointment can lead to hard emotional times as well.
There's possibly nothing more devastating to a parent than to discover some sick and heartless person damaged your child in horrific ways. Often it's years before this discovery is made. The questioning of oneself as to how you were unable to protect your child can wear already scarred emotional tissue down. As the impact of feeling like you failed your child drives your sadness to depths you never knew you could reach, you either succumb to the pain or climb your way out.
Sometimes it is important to write happy endings and hope. Every now and then, a stark look at life can crystallize emotional clarity and conveying emotion is the root of poetry. The attempt with this poem is to drive the emotion deep.
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Great piece of modern angst, Michael. A mature rendition of the pain one's life can bring...is it destined or delivered by means of our own ignorance? Is it just life?
Well done, and I like your exposition of the poems origins and forms. Voted up and beautiful.
Hi GPAGE! Nice to see you again. I agree about poetry (and writing in general) as therapeutic. I love your turn of a phrase when you write, even in comments - "where your heart spills". Excellent description of where I was emotionally when I wrote this. I am ALWAYS glad when something brings you by my Hubs. Those days definitely brighten. Thank you for your time and comment. You know how much I love comments!
Also, Morticia has always been my favorite female character on television! Love the Avatar! Speak a little French...
Hello randslam! Thank you for the vote up. I love your questions. They are questions I ask myself. Is it just life? That's the real question. I feel it is the answer as well. I truly appreciate every comment. Thank you for taking the time to stop by!
Nice poem. The thing I like about poetry is that it means something different to each reader. I was able to relate to each stanza from my own life experience. Then reading your inspiration for each stanza gave a slightly different perspective. All of which is good for the soul.
Hello MidnightRose, Yes, that is one of the beauties of poetry. The words can embody different meanings to different people. Poetry's accessibility allows the reader to input their own life experiences. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. Comments are always appreciated.
GPAGE Level 4 Commenter 6 months ago
Well here I am Michael....fillin "holes" in these spaces where people comment. Very dramatic poem and very important. Very good. It is a moment where your heart spills.....Like every moment in our lives, the words flow in some way or form. I like to think of poetry as therapy sometimes....or even writing a hub here helps the soul release some of the angst or "love." Life is like a box of chocolates....well you know the rest!
I hope things are going well with you.....Something brought me here today! All the best, G