Black Wood

she closes her eyes and returns to the wood,

her fingertips grazing the black leaves

as she tiptoes one step at a time

into the realm of low spirits.

the sky is hollow and lightless,

softly loosing razor-glass tears.

the twigs and leaves beneath her feet

crack like skulls against rock,

choking under pressure

although she feels weightless here -

empty on wings,

empty on all things,

taking her flight to a cold moon

and sad sleep.

Reviews

[John Alexander McFadyen]

I see this in two dimensions; first there is the ethereal night scene as the perturbed protagonist wades into the night forest then there is the allegorical fall into depression and suicide of someone who feels life to be empty.

[Saoirse K.]

fantastic progression from the tangible
into the ethereal
like the blur of powerful emotion distorting reality
the pull of some spell in a moonlit forest
changing one's perception of the world
succumbing to an internal darkness
both in the forest and within oneself
the dark seems to get the best of this poem's subject
leaving behind life and reality
"taking her flight to a cold moon"
great little piece

[Kay]

I really appreciate the way you take time to thoughtfully analyze a poem and connect with it. =)

[AllenS]

Help me with lines 8 & 9.
I am following her down until 8 & 9.
Some very ruch imagery here.

[Samuel Dickens]

No poetry expert here, but I find this finely written and enjoyable. There seems something otherworldly about it, as if she's some kind of elf, wood nymph, or similar. Great stuff.

[Kay]

It's interesting to hear that this poem comes across as 'otherworldly' - it's great feedback (personally a huge fantasy genre fan). I'm glad you enjoyed this, thank you for your review!