Image courtesy of El Bueno, El Feo y El Malo
He can’t remember how it started,
this stagnation that seeped into his bones
like a rotten film, a canker that slowed his heart
to a mere sluggish thud.
Thud-thump.
Thud-thump.
He looks at what he has built of his life,
and Shock stirs Torpor.
Where did his beautiful life go?
It was a slow decay,
a day-by-day downward spiral,
a slinking drip-drip of foul into fresh,
until his spirit sank beneath a pool of neglect.
What hour did he abandon himself?
He cannot point to it on a calendar –
it grew in on him while his senses slept.
No more!
His will be a life alive,
a pool party,
a place to find joy and refreshment
and community.
He doesn’t know where to begin,
what life-weed to scrape away first,
and his terrified eyes glaze for a moment.
Then he turns,
grabs a spade,
and the digging begins…
Meanwhile, Melody Muses... 
This is a beautiful poem.
Thank you!
WOW-Wonderful, Melody! I think the question, “What hour did he abandon himself?” should be on billboards, and surely on school blackboards (if they still have those…). The Bible speaks of “examine your hearts”–not sure of the scripture verse–but this reminded me of it. Great poem. God bless you Big–love, Caddo
‘Examine your hearts’ would surely keep us current and ALIVE, and keep us from stagnating! How easily we let our souls slip away in that fetid current when we could be making swift strokes into Dream Territory!
I love how you end this , Melody. It gives us all hope! God bless you!
That’s because there is ALWAYS hope – even for those of us who have gone stagnant! How I love that potential!