Monday, January 10, 2011

An Avoidable End

The Death of Chatterton: Henry Wallis (1856-58)
With hands fumbling, cheeks wet with tears
She unscrewed the lid and yanked it off its base.
Threw it away in a corner because it mattered no more.
She won't be able to clean up after she's done.

With eyes red and mad she took ten of them in her palm.
Streched her head back while outside there raged a storm.
People shouted beyond the locked doors to open up.
To make her stop but in vain as she'd gone insane
She was on her way to the doors below that she know not of.

Far away, a restless soul waited with breath abated
For some news of what she was brewing inside.
But there came none for a while that seemed like aeons.
Until it seemed far too late, she might have been long gone.

She did survive the torturous ordeal but her heart did stop beating.
Everything ended when she took to her ire
And decided to lay down and die.

21 comments:

Miss D said...

Momentary moments when every sense is lost.
That's what is more painful than the real death; for the victim dies alive, right in her conscious self.
The action of attempt to suicide is just a mere after-effect.

Miss D said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Miss D said...

Oh btw
EXCELLENT poetry!
How vivid! Just by reading it, I could feel the inflicted pain.

D2 said...

The pain is not felt by only one person. It is by someone else as well, if not then, then lots later; could even be someone unexpected.

Meher said...

Suicide is often considered a cowardly act. But I believe, a person who has the guts to inflict pain upon himself that leads to death has to be brave. When a person is suicidal, insanity knows no bounds. Well written. =)

D2 said...

@Meher : There is nothing brave about taking a bunch of pills or cutting yourself up. Pain is a drug too. But facing your problems head first is what takes a great deal of courage.
Thanks. :)

Sayak Shome said...

An avoidable end,
Maybe, probably, possibly.
Perhaps she could not bend,
The dimension of time, the agony it inflicted, daily.
Perhaps she was tired;
Hence she retired.
She desired.
Transpired.

D2 said...

@Sayak :
And she lost out.
Gave in
To what could have been
A new life.

Miss D said...

@ D2:
But then a sudden stroke of luck,
Saved a dismal ending,
Or was it really luck that held her back,
But a prayer unknown, attended?

D2 said...

@Enchanta :
There is no such thing
As simply mere coincidence.
Everything is well connected
There is always a reason.
In the larger picture,
It all makes sense.

Anonymous said...
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D2 said...

@Lioness : I'm glad you liked it. I'll wait for your post to be up, then and in the meantime, i'll be reading up 'Big Blonde'.

Mani Lalwani said...

I think sometimes if its an individual's life, shouldn't the choice of death be his too?? what do u say ?


Btw excellent usage of words, thick and mushy :)

D2 said...

@Mani : That's a nice way to look at it. However, it's a 'life and death' matter. Such a decision shouldn't be taken impulsively and they always are. They might miss out on a lot of good things in life. It's their life but it affects a lot of people as well.
Thanks, buddy. :)

S.R.Ayyangar said...

Life is to live with positivity even in pain.

Amropali said...

I like how there is still hope when 'She unscrewed the lid and yanked it off its base' for it is only in the final line where she 'decided to lay down and die'

D2 said...

@S R Ayyangar : Absolutely. It's just pitiful how many people don't stop to think about the simplicity of that.

@Amropali : I'm glad you liked it. :)

Sarah malik said...

sad. i wished u would have added some element of positivity in the end so that maybe someone reading it would have refrained from such a momentous yet empty thought.
but, i would like to add that u have peened it wonderfully from the start till the end!

sarah

D2 said...

@Sarah : Positivity would sound good but the reality is far from what seems to be good.
Thank you for the appreciation. :)

Samadrita said...

You write excellent poetry is all I can say. The ability to weave a story into a poem...is something that I surely do not have.

D2 said...

Thank you so much, Sammy. And by the way, you do have the ability. For reference, see your blog. :P
And thanks again. :)

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