Approaching Death with Open Eyes.

Open.
Glancing in toxic, hated
and simmering shadows.

Scolding these curious claws,
clattering tarmac in retreat.

Always open.

Fixated onto logical arguments

of crescendo victory.

Volume defeats thought

with every drop of poison.

Still open.

In determination, just if I can

taste another day of this dirt,

but delay is denial of the basics and

death becomes you whilst you're still warm.

Forced open.

Fear of being in truce with

your unwanted images,

illuminated eyelids never stop

with those twisted faces.

Half open.

Well, come in to my

chasing exhaustion.

Movement should be left

to the animals that pursue me.

Wide open.

Start yelling suspected memories

at my silhouette

my spine bends with the slats

of this palate that is my solace.

Perpetually open.

I may jinx my survival

with hoping for harbour

But this ocean has been licking at

my soars for three eternities already.

Blindly open.

Crushing doors are not seen because

distractions dance on my corneas.

Foetal, like sleep, not stirring

as blindness envelopes my every member

Left open.

Rest or execution? 

You will never know my final act, 

lost to that decomposition 

of five days undiscovered.

Still my neighbours stir at morning birdsong

and complain against the blooming smell of my passing.

Written late 2013.
Written as part of my reflecting on people I know who have passed away after struggling with addictions.


I recently learnt that what I tried to do in this poem is use a 'mondegreen' in each stanza to communicate something more of the essence of the poetry behind the words. The definition of mondegreen according to dictionary.com is 'a word or phrase resulting from a misinterpretation of a word or phrase that has been heard.' ... so maybe a deliberate mondegreen is an oxymoron... but hey, this is my version of 'mondegreen poetry', and I felt it needed a video to help communicate it, so if you read it watch the video as well.