Friday, June 8, 2012

Arielle's Word of the Day #8: TROUBLE

Today, I'd like to share with you a poem I wrote 9 years ago. It's simply called "Trouble" and was very much an analogy for eating disorder struggles...

Trouble
 
I scraped my way through treacherous fields,
Through mountains and through trees…
Through wild nights of terror…
Of darkness and of seas…
Seas that swallowed hopes of mine
And carried me to shore
To leave me on the scarring sand
(I’d been there once before).
I stumbled to a forest
Where I lost my little way
And cried alone into my hands—
The eve was turning gray.
And when I left the forest vast,
The night was full-blown black.
I trembled then with cold and fear
And wanted to turn back- - -
But there, just in the distance,
I saw a shining star,
Something I could follow
Though I would travel far.
I dragged my heavy feet
Toward the glow of hopeful light
And when the morning came again,
I reached ice and snow so white.
I sighed and stood in panic
(Now what was I to do?),
But I saw some hundred feet away
A lake of purest blue.
So I slid along the snowy banks,
Wary of the breaking ice.
I diligently plodded
And only doubted twice.
My limbs were cold and shaky
When I reached that heated lake,
So I dipped my body slowly in
To soothe my horrid ache.
No sooner had I warmed myself
Then the lake began to dry—
I was stranded at the bottom,
Just looking toward the sky.
The water had all gone away—
I was just inside a hole—
And I looked about me fruitlessly,
Searching for control.
Little birds flew by me
Just when I had reached despair
And one by one they clung to me—
I was lifted in the air!
They carried me to safety
Where I searched inside my soul
For the lake, the morn, the star—
For the HOPE that was my goal.
And after I’d restored my hope,
My goal was higher still,
But I’d gotten through such struggles—
Now I had a stronger will.
The will to keep on fighting,
To keep going, and to strive—
I would not give up ‘til I had won—
Yes, I would survive.

© ALB 2003

1 comment:

brie said...

you know, i consider myself a writer, but i've never considered myself a poet - but you, my lady, are a POET! so beautiful! i envy the way you are with words in poetic form. so amazing.