Starving

Poem

Content Warning: This poem contains themes of mortality, decay, despair, and suicide.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Note

This poem tries to paint two pictures: one of a person dying of literal starvation on the roadside, and the second of a person about to commit suicide dying of starvation of meaning, hope, and connection.

---

Skin reduced to flakes and
muscles turned into blood
which got soaked by the bones 
that disintegrated into the soil

A fossil starts to form
coating the bones with
after-rain wet sand that
acts as a hope for legacy

Never thought an upcoming
sleep could be eerie, but this
one got those thoughts flowing
without a hanging rope

Time was up before the
’beat stopped;
the last two coins
were trash for land

***

Life of decades
quiet beat; fast-paced.
Each loose fibre end
of the rope was stinging.
Few loops, round and
around the ceiling.
Starvation of meaning,
hope, and connection
gave the last blow.
Wine red neck,
smoke-grey face,
and a brain that’s been
dying for years.
Now, the body’s swinging
on the noose with the 
innocence of a child.

Thanks for reading, if you think my works are worth reading, consider pledging your support. It’ll be a great encouragement for me :) (You won’t be charged until I turn on paid.)

If you can’t afford it, you can still support my work by becoming a free subscriber or sharing it.