Out among the places where rats live with vermin
the voiceless masses protest their lack of anything to say
by striking out blind against a world that swallowed them,
rummaging for purpose in the lives of others,
and carrying off fool’s treasure to the shadows where they count their spoils.
The floors we walk are stained with blood
that flowed from a stranger’s veins to drown this place
and out to the street where a river runs full of it,
rising higher with each day that dawns,
each blind fool who wanders into its current
swept off to the ocean and out to sea.
Back at the source a door is left open,
and eyes watch the river away in the distance
for a sign, any sign, that the blood will cease flowing.
—
I haven’t posted anything the past few days because me and a couple of my best friends took an impromptu mini-vacation just before the weekend. It was a much, much needed break from life. Now I’m back to it, and I’ll keep doing my best to get a new poem up every day, starting with this one. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on this one.
—
Photo by Vijay Putra from Pexels
The Light is On 
10 responses to “The Lives of Others”
You would probably like the lyric to “Budapest by Blimp” by Thomas Dolby.
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Incredibly beautiful and well-written. This flows together so well. It also has a dark, mysterious air to it, which I really like.
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Ill give it a listen, thanks!
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I had been wondering where your poems were. It’s good to go away – and I’m glad you’re back.
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I appreciate that, thank you! (:
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I think this is beautifully written. To me it speaks to the chaos and killing that seems to be everywhere, not just people but the environment as well. Love 💕 J
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Thank you Joni! That’s definitely the kind of thing I had in my head while I was writing this one. I hope it all gets better, the world doesn’t need more bloodshed.
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You are so welcome. Reading your work is a real pleasure. Love 💕 J
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I see two poems here. It could be two poems, I mean. The first five lines is one, and the rest is another.
“Rummaging for purpose in the lives of others” is strong. It reads to me like a solid critique of people not willing to put in the work to make their own way.
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Interesting, I hadn’t thought of them as separate but I can see how they could be! Thanks for the comment Andy
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