High Stakes

It took a mouthful of loathing
a fistful of pain
a swallow of anger and
a jab of pity
to bring a man
to his knees

It took a minute of suffering
four years of regret
a Sunday of reflection and
a January of neglect
to strip the love
off his back

And it took a mind of awareness
a finger of confrontation
a skeleton of hopelessness and
a jaw of conviction
to take the drive
from his heart

Author's Note

Opinions on the title?

Reviews

[Huw]

I'd simply suggest that the cause and effect nature of the writing insinuates a man being stripped of self brought down to low or zero self esteem.
If the word stake is being used as a translation of the Hebrew yathed or Greek stauros which means a wooden stake on which a man was nailed as punishment for a crime then the title fits perfectly. The term cross is actually a wrong translation as found in most Bibles.

This will either be helpful or very annoying.....My pleasure or my apologies.