this reminds me of a joke...

a man with a flashlight

to beam my path across

on a path of one insanity, to another

ensure no missteps, it would be a deadly drop

a man behind me

with no choice in hand

to walk on my light blindly,

freedom to give, if i planned

and there they were

two fools, with a foolish escape plan

to walk a beam of light,

that life was in their hands

the one behind, stopping

dead in his tracks.

"do you think im insane?

halfway through you'd stop the flash"

he chose to remain in that asylum

i guess he really was.

Author's Note

A poetic take on the joke from "Batman: the killing joke."

Reviews

[.]

I loved how you told this story so beautifully, I think it would have been enough if I read your poem before reading the story. Brilliant

[Tan-90]

At first, this poem feels like an allegory for trust, control, and the illusion of freedom in our day to day struggles living our "normal" lives. It paints a vivid picture of two people—one leading with a flashlight, the other forced to follow—attempting a seemingly impossible escape. The final decision of the follower to stay behind suggests deep themes of doubt, fear, and the nature of sanity itself. Then you hit us with the joke and it all falls in to place nicely; context. But here is the real kicker; then why did it feel so familir without context? Is it because we are not very diffrent to these people in the asylum..
Thank you for your writing, I always enjoy passing by your page...