so i don't have to hear a thing i say
ii. so i don't have to hear a thing i say
estefaaano_writes
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i would speak of things i comprehend not,
so i give myself my own ears,
put them into these hands,
turn them over as stones gathered from the wreckage,
evidence of a life i cannot fully account for.
i put my hands over my own ears,
and press until the world grow distant and cottoned,
still, i hear everything.
that's the nature of this affliction,
the silence a man built around himself is never soundproof,
walls always a little thin,
his own voice passes through no matter when.
so i don't have to hear a thing i say,
i leave it here,
whatever it was, whatever it meant.
i set it down in my own empty hands,
and walk away from the ink.
for ink requires thinking,
and thinking requires descent,
recurring to minorities which
hath always known how to handle me.
my memory of what's good is passing,
i knew it would.
i watched it dissipated as though it were inevitable.
and told myself it mattered not,
a man may live without his memory of goodness
and still be counted among the living.
when all else hath gone to silence,
that part made no sense to the rest of me.
☁︎

❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. It feels like someone trying not to break apart in front of themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis one feels so honest it almost hurts to read.
ReplyDeleteThe “silence a man built around himself” line is incredible.
ReplyDeleteSo tender and so lonely.
ReplyDeletethis is the kind of poem i save and return to.
ReplyDeleteWhen you talk about walking away from the ink because it requires thinking, I can see how exhausted your brain is.
ReplyDeletethis one is so lonely in the best possible way.
ReplyDeleteshort, but it lingers.
ReplyDeleteThe metaphor of hands as ears, turning over stones at the 'scene of the obscurity,' is incredibly evocative legal/investigative imagery for the soul.
ReplyDeleteThe poem lingers in the air long after you finish reading the last line.
ReplyDeleteThe tragedy of the piece is that the writing itself proves the narrator hasn’t completely walked away yet.
ReplyDeleteyou wrote this so well it almost feels unfair.
ReplyDelete“walk away from the ink” — wow. That line stopped me.
ReplyDeletethis is poetry!
ReplyDeleteThe thin walls of the self are a brilliant poetic concept. We can never truly escape our own narration.
ReplyDelete“walk away from the ink” wow.
ReplyDeletethe whole poem feels like holding your breath too long.
ReplyDeleteI see you trying to step away from the thinking and the descent. I hope you find a safe place to land.
ReplyDeleteWatching goodness dissipate like it's inevitable is a really heavy way to look at your history.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like you're trying to build a soundproof bunker inside your mind, but you're trapped in there with the noise.
ReplyDeleteYou always tell us it matters not, but we know it does matter to you.
ReplyDeletei can feel the ache in this one
ReplyDeleteYou might think a man can live without his memory of goodness, but that’s no way to live, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery of turning over stones at the scene of obscurity is so descriptive of how you overthink your past.
ReplyDeleteDon't walk away from the ink for good. Your voice is too important.
ReplyDeleteI can feel the literal pressure of your hands against your ears while reading this.
ReplyDeleteThis reads like a beautiful, tragic sigh.
ReplyDeleteThe realization that the silence we build around ourselves isn't soundproof is a terrifyingly accurate depiction of internal monologue.
ReplyDeleteThe contrast between 'empty hands' and hands 'over my own ears' shows a dynamic struggle with sensory overload.
ReplyDeleteA profound look at how the mind forces us to bear witness to our own thoughts, whether we want to or not.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of 'evidence of a life i cannot fully account for' hits hard for anyone dealing with trauma or memory loss.
ReplyDeleteA deeply moving and minimalist approach to describing psychological dissociation.
ReplyDeletevery moving.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a quiet desperation here that feels very real.
ReplyDeleteAn incredible, intimate piece of writing that feels like a privilege to read.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase 'told myself it mattered not' shows the protective lies we tell ourselves to survive.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like watching a fire slowly burn out into ash.
ReplyDelete