The Rope

A poem that doesn't need too much explanation/

Dangling over the edge.

Only a rope to hold on to.

I force myself to look up

Maybe that way

 I'll ignore I'm hanging.

I wish I had painkillers.

Maybe then

I'd forget my stinging hands

 

But I can't forget.

I can't move.

I can't even breathe for fear that if I do I will shift that rope just enough to make it snap.

 

And if it snaps, I die.

 

So I hold on.

But I don't know for how long.

Reviews

[Virdie Morrison]

I'm not sure whether to congratulate you or offer my condolences for this poem. I think you did a phenomenal job of expressing isolation and depression here. This is the kind of poetry I believe can only be written from experience, whether it be your direct experience or something you have witness from someone else. Your poem has depth without being flashy. Well done.

[Chaz Hemsworth]

Congratulations would work. I have lived it first hand, but I actually don't relate to the depression i felt to this poem. Thank you for reading!

[Emily]

'Dangling over the edge' Wow! this line got my attention!

[Endeavor]

This is wonderfully written. I was able to feel panic rising in the writer's heart, and got a hold of the metaphor about his 'dangling' situation. It is truly easier to say that problems can be forgotten quickly than it can be actually done. But we do control the thought process, and the outcome depends on us. Thank you for sharing your work!

[Average person]

Very well written.. I love this Chaz! It is simple to understand and personally that is my favorite kind of poetry..

[Bluemerlin]

A beautiful take on anxiety. Even though it takes everything the narrator has just to hold on to the rope, just to resist plummeting into the abyss below, there's always the chance the rope will just snap and make all the effort worthless. It's saddening, but I do have to wonder, why not try to climb? Perhaps its just another comment on the anxious and depressed, that sometimes it's easier to hang there than to try and overcome it. Beautiful words regardless of my interpretations, thanks for writing it.

[Blue]

My, that's such a crazy situation. It actually made me think how I can relate myself to the speaker in terms of my current emotional state. And yes, I agree with your description, Chaz. This doesn't need much explaining. Well done, anyway.