Rising rising
Many-hued lights and fresh breezes
A dizzying climb to a sublime peak
A laughing flight into blue heavens

Twirling twirling
On the edge of an endless void
A pull from the drop a push from behind
A screaming fall into clinging dark

Writhing writhing
In the suffocating cages
The hell of my heart the rack of my mind
Anguished decline into still despair

How do I climb again?
Is there a phoenix to rise from my ashes?
If I let myself fall to the end
Will something grow from the blood of my

Broken form?

Let me explain. This poem is one attempt by me to deal with various
feelings and images which have besieged me in the past few months, perhaps
the last couple of years. Yes, it is angsty. Sometimes I like it, sometimes
I find it ridiculous. I would appreciate feedback as always. I am aware
that this poem is not particularly good-it is my least favourite of all my
published poems in that I don't like the style or the subject that much.
Yes, I have written other introspective poems but they all had (I feel)
more depth than this (go see "Catharsis", it's MUCH better than this-in a
different league in fact). So why am I publishing it? Why am I bothering
you with something that may well be drivel? Because this poem has been
bugging me for ages. Because I don't know for certain that it's useless.
Because it might have something good in it, but maybe I need somebody else
to discover it for me. I know this is all terribly heavy, but whether this
poem is a load of twaddle (which I strongly suspect) or actually quite
good, it means something to me, it has been weighing on my mind, and
publishing it seems to me to be the only way to exorcise this particular
ghost. So please read and review, and please be honest: however much this
poem means to me, it is still a work in progress. It is part of an ongoing
attempt to express something properly, and I need honest feedback if I'm to
make any progress.

Good grief, that really is heavy isn't it? Sorry! Thanks for reading, and
don't worry, I don't take myself this seriously most of the time!