Cloying darkness envelopes me
My eyes see naught but the bleak
So warm and dark, yet binding
At home within this skin
----
But is it me entombed in solitude or do others share my plight?
I question my existence, crowded on all sides
Gestating in pitch darkness, dreaming of the light
----
Dysmorphia consumes me, my eyes tell only lies
I can’t see my own perfections, only the question of my form
The pressure ever mounting, forces from beyond
What is the chosen path, what will I become?
----
No potential to be found in me, at least not through these jaded eyes
Too lumpy, all splotchy, mishappen
I'm sure that’s what they’ll decry
----
I’d protest or weep, were I not buried alive
The world is oppressive, I’m only safe inside
So thickened skin, I shall grow to keep my core alive
----
My blemished skin and shapely form, measurements of my worth
Expectations suffocate, and I crave the cold comfort of earth
The world eyes me with hunger, predators one and all
----
Eyes a view to the soul, they look but do not see
My future, all potential shaped by hands yet unseen
What will I become, and will it be my choice?
I’d cry out in dismay, had I the privilege of a voice
----
To grow this skin, thick and strong, deflecting tongue and tooth
No barbs or blades can breach, that they cannot reach
To hide away inside forever, stifled and warped
A sepulcher of substance
I writhe within this skin
To live within this darkness until the time I rot?
----
No, I shall not!
To face the light and peel back my calloused skin
Vulnerable, and raw
Exposed! What would you say of me now?
My truth stripped for all to see
I am raw, but I am free!
About the Creator
Addison M
Artist & writer although, those may be potent terms for what I concoct. A spirited creator may be more apt. Spreading my particular brand of insanity through myriad stories and mediums. Learning the ways of the written word along the road.
Reader insights
Nice work
Very well written. Keep up the good work!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Mama’s Boy
I’ve been a fiancé for four years and three months. We’ve been together for six and a half years total, and we have a two-month-old son together. I can’t help but think that we’ll never get married. We haven’t even decided on a wedding date. When I bring it up, he tries to escape the room as if he’s late for something more important.
By Real Poetic6 days ago in Chapters
Comments (26)
This is one of the most real poems heard. It had me at the edge of my seat😉
nice poem!
You captured what many of us feel so beautifully
“What will I become, and will it be my choice?” That question is so haunting. Every time I see anything about free will, I think of Ezio Auditorie and the assassins; this was SO well written! Congrats on top story!
This is just stunning, Addison! Seriously. I would pick out my favourite lines, but this comment would be way too long as I'd have to include the whole thing. I love the direction you took with it and how vulnerable it was - and that ending was perfect! Congrats on this getting Top Story - it's well-deserved!
Fantastic!
Your writing is excellent. I must say, I was thoroughly impressed.
Back to say congrats on Top Story!! ❤️✨🕊️
very nice, indeed.
Oh how I love this. I have always had the attitude that "what you see is what you get". I may not be perfect, but I am me and can't see why I should pretend to be otherwise. My friends say I wear my heart and mind on my collar, like a badge of honor`. Maybe, I do, but you made a good point. I am the raw me.
I loved reading this and it was so mesmerizing literally every line. some of the lines just felt personal here are they-- ''Dysmorphia consumes me, my eyes tell only lies I can’t see my own perfections, only the question of my form The pressure ever mounting, forces from beyond What is the chosen path, what will I become?'' congratulations on top story :)
Amazing, there is so much depth in this <3
Inspiring! Great work, Love it all, especially this line: I writhe within this skin To live within this darkness until the time I rot? ---- No, I shall not! To face the light and peel back my calloused skin
Congrats on top story!
Congrats on top story! Great job!
I want to see the raw!
Congrats on your Top Story!
Good words
Good words
Excellent!
This was so poignant and powerful! I loved the ending, it was so liberating! I loved this poem so much!
So heartfelt and powerful. Well done!
Nice piece 😉❤️📝💯👌
"I am raw, but I am free!" - Boom! This is an extraordinary line! Well done!
This is brilliant for so many reasons, there are layers and layers of ways to interpret this. For instance, the emotional journey of life. The ever present battle of fear and love, courage. Self realisation. And also it exactly reflects the way you introduce the poem on Discord. You start out uncertain, picking out the flaws, stating you don’t know what you are doing… but the message in itself is pushing through fear, with courage. The link showing your poem is the ‘boom’ we feel in the final stanza / verse… saying here… I’m here…. Vulnerable… exposed! I shall not hide. That’s a journey of growth in itself. The poem is about a journey of growth. And what is especially beautiful??? The evident growth from start to end of the poem!!!! The start is actually very good, but I *feel* you’re overthinking. Your language, the words you choose are honestly brilliant. You are a poet. Of this there is no doubt! And then I feel there is an abandoning of this worry/ concern/ fear of judgement.. and by the last verse? You are writing freely. It just feels different to real…. I hope this makes sense in some way! It’s a long way to getting around to saying I really enjoyed this…. Huge well done and thank you for sharing! And I really do look forward to seeing your next works ! My snippet of hopefully helpful advice? Keep the focus on what you feel, what story you are telling, and finding the way to best express that! Keep the focus away from how ‘we’ as readers will receive it. The irony is that the more you do this? The more we do enjoy it! Like life, it’s just about trusting that. Trusting what is within you absolutely IS good enough. More than good enough!!! 🙏✨❤️