There’s no absolute
To be found, between
Your Rorschach trial
And the cloud shapes
That once upon a time
Were so endearing
In this one, a rabbit
Followed by
Another rabbit
That looks like
It got too close
To the first rabbit
Tested from
Point to point
Dare calculate
The probability
Of survival, the fittest
With no space
In which to fit
Press farther down
Some God-forsaken
Rabbit hole
That leads right back
To where we started from
Except, this time
The rabbits decided
To tag along
Turns out, the bottom
Of a hole
Isn’t all it’s cracked
Up to be
Who knew better
Not me
I’ve been down here
For days, weeks, months
Probably years
The dirt tastes like
Well, dirt
But one becomes addicted
Not only to the taste
But the smell
And the sounds
Of the digging, the clamoring
As they make their way
One by one
Down the rabbit hole
To stare in wonder
At your missing feet
They watch you
Do your little dance
Of survival
In the dark, drowning
Where no water
Can be found
And question
Among themselves
How in the world
Someone like you
Could get
So far down
Such a tiny hole
People love drama. Instead of helping, they watch and eat popcorn.
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If I had only bought stock in Orville Redenbacher back in 2016.
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Ah, yes. So many missed opportunities…
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I really like the “voice” in this one – colloquial, practical, matter-of-fact – and in the end the sadness is, well, sad.
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Thanks, Bruce.
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I suppose the question of how is the life long pursuit and the answer itself we just do and we just survive …
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It’s about all we can do sometimes.
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For sure, friend xo
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Very clever! And literally, a ‘deep’ theme!
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Thank you very much!
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Nice to have you back, waxing poetic…
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Thanks.
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It happens to the best of us… drowning where no water can be found. And, as you said, one becomes addicted to the taste of dirt.
I loved this poem, River.
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Thank you so much!
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Always a pleasure!
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I love the voice in this too, and the mood. You convey so much depth in a down-to-earth way in perfectly concise lines. And the feeling of being “so far down such a tiny hole” is one many of us will recognise. I know I do. Dark, claustrophobic, and brilliant. Well done River, yet again.
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Thank you so much, Alli.
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Wow River. Fucking wow.
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Thanks, Bojana. Fucking thanks!
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Seriously, this one blew me away. I’ll have to go back/several times.
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Thank you. I appreciate that.
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We are no exception when it comes to ‘sanity’
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Very true. Thank you.
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Yep… holes ain’t what they seem
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Sure aren’t. Thanks, Eric.
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So well said. The thing I learned from being at the bottom of that hole is that you can acquire terrible amounts of bravery when you have nothing left to lose.
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Good point. Nothing left to lose but the hole, I guess. Thank you for reading.
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Touché! Nothing left to lose but the rabbit hole. I love it.
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What Bojana said 😊
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She’s a wise one, for sure.
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Damn straight!
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Outstanding.
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Thank you.
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Wow River…so clever!
Hope you’re well
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Thank you! I’m good, hope you are too.
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I’m okay, thanks!
I’m chewing on this great piece! 🙂
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This is something I think Lewis Carroll and Richard Adams would have enjoyed.
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Thank you very much.
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This is one of my favorites. Thought provoking and relatable, yet sad. I’m glad I found your site. You are so talented.
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Thank you very much for the kind words. I appreciate you reading.
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Love the missing feet lines
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Thank you.
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We dig and dig, and believe the lie that all will be revealed a little further down the tunnel, only to dig back to where we started.
A great poem.
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Thank you very much, Chris.
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Holy hell brother, this is fantastic. The third stanza choked me up by the end, then you released the tension at the beginning of the 4th only to rebuild it so quickly through the rest. This is really impressive work. I’ve done 5 dramatic readings…it’s great.
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I really appreciate that, thank you very much. For a piece to be read more than once is the greatest of compliments.
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Excellent poem!!!
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Thank you.
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I love this poem, River! It’s so real!
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Thank you very much, Eugenia.
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My pleasure!
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Love that last stanza.
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Thank you, Meg.
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Very well written. Personally the last two verses are my favorite
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Thank you very much for the kind words.
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Woooowww… Something that has happened to me times before. I luv this..
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Thanks, Wammy.
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You’re Welcome 🙂
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Dark and deep.Brilliant.
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Thank you very much.
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I love the title!
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Thanks!
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