It is all a game
Tests and numbers
We all fall down
Lies and truths
We don't know which is which
They turn the lights off
We look at our body in the dark
Better that way
Endless hours spent in the waiting room
Who dares make the next move
Check mate
I understand
But it doesn't take away the longing
Home
Red Bed
Alice
It's all a game
I have been out manoeuvred
I hate that
Check mate
I understand.
Not a fun game, when the rules change, and they dont let you win. I can feel that longing for home and the red bed.
ReplyDeletei sense there's an edge in here but i don't quite get it. time for you to change the rules again.
ReplyDeleteThis brings memories of a horrible (horror) my kids want to see- Truth or Dare. Sounds ominous!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think understanding makes the process more difficult,,,
ReplyDeleteI can see the tension between the mind, resigned and understanding of all that needs to be done, and the heart which still wants to be comforted.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much to read between the lines in this poem, Jae, and there is very little light. Games aren't always fun and those tests and numbers sound painful. The lines that make me shiver are:
ReplyDelete'They turn the lights off
We look at our body in the dark
Better that way' -
'Our body' as opposed to 'our bodies' implies that the body belongs to someone else.
Its scary when we don't really understand what's going on.
ReplyDeleteI know this may not be where you were going but what came to mind was alll the medical appointments my husband went through when he was very sick. The waiting, the tests, the results sometimes conflicting, the long hospital stay ... and him longing for home. It often did feel like an awful game. But perhaps your poem reflects much of life too.
ReplyDeleteRed Bed
ReplyDeleteAlice
Anxious. Anxious!
If you play like my five year old granddaughter, Girl the rules can change at any point of the game.
ReplyDelete(✿◠‿◠)
much love...
Being out maneuvered is always a shock - I don't completely understand the poem but I feel the frustration in it.
ReplyDeleteCheckmate, end game. So much frustration in this and longing for home. Keep you and Alice safe.
ReplyDeleteThe sense of having to play in a game you always loose... alas a game of life for way to many... very dark poem Jae
ReplyDeleteWhat a telling poem this is Jae; so full of feeling, of longing and written with such clarity.
ReplyDeleteYou have described it perfectly. Perhaps the game if over, time to begin again. Shuffle the deck, deal a new hand, begin again. Each day a new beginning, you can win!
ReplyDelete