Ah. The malaise of this story doesn’t even begin to unwind the tension that lies between my bones, each joint being held by tacky glue
Malaise of my neck, like a swan neck being snapped in two
Or three, three points of contact like a karate chop
Roll onto your lap, your face falls off in an explosion, escape, your eyes linger on my shoulders
Lower, lower
Lower
I had the malaise that lingered on the buds of my taste, sorrow in the tunnel that had led to my demise
I don’t have the strength
I don’t want to have any of this strength
It’s a stew burning so hot on the bottom of the pan
Black and blue and charred, like me
I swap out the white paint of the yellow cured grapes
For a swill that created my skin, burning
Like a twig in the desert
I paint my face with stuffed mushrooms, silky, smooth, soft and chuffed with layers
You can feel their tickle as you walk through the patches
I can’t even tell you how tired I am
I must go on for there are some who cannot walk from the agony
The pain of being, of stuffing without substance
Of submission without permission
Of malaise that layers upon malice
Malaise of malaise
I’m so happy I’m tired,
About the Creator
Melissa Ingoldsby
I am a published author on Patheos,
I am Bexley by Resurgence Novels
The Half Paper Moon on Golden Storyline Books for Kindle.
My novella The Job and Atonement will be published this year by JMS Books
Reader insights
Nice work
Very well written. Keep up the good work!
Top insights
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Comments (3)
Well done.
My favourite part was painting the face with stuffed mushrooms! Your poem was so poignant and I loved it!
A prose of pain and being alive was well written by you