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In the Humble Aftermath

A Poem For The Bus Ride Back

By Oneg In The ArcticPublished 9 months ago 1 min read
35
In the Humble Aftermath
Photo by Jessica Felicio on Unsplash

After the show

At the end of the day

My heart sinks deeper into surrounding tissue

My essence moulds into existence

My body, ten-times-ten tender tonnes

My ribs plush cushion made

The lights dimming

A soy wax candle burns my belly sage

-

See, after the parade

At the end of the day

The mask of confidence

Endless energy and erupting euphoria

Ends

It’s just me now

In dimmed hues casting rainbow

Shadows across disco lit walls

It’s all about the in-betweens

The distance between moments

The heavy sigh of relief of surviving another day

-

But after the curtains are drawn

And the crowds go home

The music echos on

Thumps of bass reverberate

Maybe, the beat will carry us through long enough this time

Through the bills, hate, and anti-queer sentiment

Maybe we won’t lose so many dance partners this time

Maybe, just maybe, love will win this time

(I hope)

social commentaryslam poetrysad poetryperformance poetrysurreal poetry
35

About the Creator

Oneg In The Arctic

A storyteller and poet of arctic adventures, good food, identity, mental health, and more.

Co-founder of Queer Vocal Voices

Some other rad writers to check out:

James ❄️ TheDaniWriter ❄️ Melissa

RiverJoy ❄️ J. Delaney-Howe ❄️

Water is Life ✊

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  2. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  3. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  1. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  2. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

  3. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

  4. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

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Comments (21)

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  • J. Delaney-Howe3 months ago

    I think this is one of your best. And I believe love always wins. It is a battle though. Thats for sure.

  • Grz Colm5 months ago

    Beautiful, heartening writing Oneg! ☺️👏

  • Mother Combs5 months ago

    Oh, I love this, Oneg. <3

  • Mariann Carroll9 months ago

    Love the imagery of the words in this poem 🥰

  • Rob Bell has a book entitled "Love Wins". I agree 100%, even in hearts darkened by the worst of fear, greed & hate, in the end, love wins. I resonate with what you've written here--the exhaustion at the end of the day, wondering if the message will ever get through to me, not to mention those I meet &/or hear about every day.

  • Leslie Writesabout a year ago

    That was very powerful. Thank you for sharing it.

  • The Invisible Writerabout a year ago

    Well done I liked this. I could feel the weariness the sentiment really came across

  • R.C. Taylorabout a year ago

    I love this, so evocative and relatable! <3

  • Rick Henry Christopher about a year ago

    Very well done. Great job!!!

  • Love this! You really are a great poet! Let me know if you have any books out there. I'd love to buy one! ;)

  • Dropping back into to this beaty once more

  • Penny Fuller2 years ago

    Hit the theme right on the head. Nicely done.

  • Dawn Salois2 years ago

    Beautiful poem. I really felt this one.

  • Hi Oneg; this poem was beautiful and heart wrenchingly thoughtful! Lots of luck to you 🍀

  • Babs Iverson2 years ago

    Lovely and inspirational!!!💖💕

  • Beautiful poem!

  • Sissi Smith2 years ago

    We all win when love wins. Beautiful. <3

  • This made me feel a range of emotions. Very beautifully written

  • Beautiful lines beautifully written

  • Cathy holmes2 years ago

    This is beautiful.

  • Heather Hubler2 years ago

    So much emotion and power in such few words :) Well done!

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