Narcopath

Forth and back so on and so forth

Madness masking more madness

When a narcissist cries

Big, fat, salty

Crocodile tears of self love

For you to appreciate their

Sensitivity

Insightful through the most insidious of manipulations

Unaware, blissfully, so blissfully you stay unaware

In an emotional waiting room

Preparing for an appointment

That was never made

Not for you anyway

You're just the vessel

My ride to the store

Paradoxically

To the narcopath

Self love is

Self loathing

Self loathing's

Self love

Those who crave pity

Must first devour all of their own

Then starve at too young an age

From loving themselves

Much too much

Behind a shattered enough stage

A mess at the start

Even cats need learn their own claws

Professional confidence from something

Re-sewn, sutured, glued, reassembled

From pure disaster into smooth alabaster

Sharp at the edges, dangerous

This insightful love of the narcopath

Fierce now unbroken

Statuesque

Whole and all powerful

Distorted fully to experience zero reality

Floating among humans

In irrelevant situations

A deep love shared for the glory

Of one

With the strength

Of one thousand suns

Be careful

Those little emo black holes, ha,

They'll swallow your a*s whole

Author's Note

Love yourself to death.

Reviews

[EileenMarie]

Well said. Great write and I can totally relate having been on the other side of the Narcissists mental games of hide and seek. Manipulation at the very best. I love the style, it grabs the reader and allows you to feel as you move through the poem. Nice job!

[Davidgeo]

It's an autobiographical poem.... I apologize on behalf of all the horrible narcissists you've encountered. They are a good time from time to time though, in small doses. A little bit goes a long way.

[EileenMarie]

1 was enough. I'm sure I have encountered more in the world but living with 1 was plenty. I am free of the craziness! I will read more of your poetry, I do like your style :)

[KWP]

Oh dear - two science nerds - and me - too funny 😂

[Rick Puetter]

Now that was an interesting read. And you don't make (n my humble opinion) the common mistakes of those that write free verse here on WC. You don't break thoughts across lines. You use whole phrases. If you write a single line, it stands alone. Subsequent line might add, but your single, stand-alone lines, stand-alone signally. I don't know how many others I criticized for this fault, but you don't make this mistake. Now as to content, I think that is especially relevant, too. Especially today. I sometimes write in free verse, but that is not my central-feel-good spot. If you want to see some of my free-verse, see "I am Penthos". If you'd like to see the center of my sweet spot, see "Wakjakaga's River Race". This was an outstanding poem. Highest marks!

[Davidgeo]

A compliment wrapped in an advertisement... d********g.

[Rick Puetter]

So sorry. I enjoyed your work. I thought you might like to see my writing, so I made some suggestions. There is no obligation, and I will still really like your poem, and I will like your poem whether or not you like mine. Sorry that I seemed to hit a nerve. My apologies.

[Davidgeo]

I'm just bustin' your balls. It's not that serious. A lot is lost in translation.

[Rick Puetter]

I don't know quite how to take this, Dave. I seemed to touch a button or something. Anyway, don't worry. I have a very thick skin. It's just I was surprised by the response. No worries.

[Davidgeo]

Ha... yeah, you touched a button.

[Davidgeo]

lighten up dude

[KWP]

Its FREE VERSE

I don't know how many others I criticized for this fault

read moreIts FREE VERSE

I don't know how many others I criticized for this fault

FREE VERSE ... this review amuses me. There are some who like the idea of FREE from ideals of what should be.

I believe I always break thought lines in my s****y poems - and I am okay with that :D have a good day boys !!!

[Andrew Nelson Stewart]

While reading very keen words it unfolds powerful emotions for example line "Distorted fully to experience zero reality." That line got me for some reason but keep writing Sincerely your friend in writing and life.

[Travis Gibson (poetic h..]

whew, really brought suppressed thoughts to the foreground. I've known this kind of person... had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen, and she used it as a dagger and band aid. Ah, the times when self destruction felt right. Believe it or not, many of us cling to this, masochistically of course. After all, attention is attention. Even when you know its only given for selfish benefit. Powerful write.

[Davidgeo]

Attention is a strange thing. No one really interprets it right. I wrote this about 5 years ago and I haven't gotten better at writing things. I think maybe the point is... mind and body strong grasshopper.

[Laconic Meraki]

Loved this. I'm very much an empath. But it helps to see the narssists view point..

[Davidgeo]

You spelled narcissist wrong. Dickhole.

[Laconic Meraki]

Dickhole? Very mature.

[Davidgeo]

Lighten up. It's just not that serious.

[John the Baptist]

A devastating portrait here of a self destructive personality type. Although the drug factor is mentioned in passing at the end, it is the narcissism that is most important. There is a healthy narcissism and a malignant type, and what is described here is definitely the latter. The narcissistic personality disorder individual really has poor self esteem and spends much of the time trying to shore it by manipulating others. The poet accurately calls it "self loathing's self love." Others exist only as means to an end. Those close to them, especially those who do not understand what they are dealing with, are put through the wringer until they catch on. Then they have a choice: either get the person help or run for their lives.

[Davidgeo]

That sounds about right to me. It's like you almost used to deal with people like this for a living or something crazy like that.

Thanks for stopping by John.

[John the Baptist]

You're welcome. I was a mental health crisis counselor for four years.

[dementedreality]

A Forgotten Self

Losing sight of the Self to the masks we wear
One mask seeking out and attacking another in the chaos
A forgotten land unseen where the forgotten rot
Only in the darkness do we find ourselves
As the masks fall away we can learn to see
We are not as we seem, bundles of the past
Tied ever so tight to our faces
We look into the mirror and see ourselves
Our masks tied so tight
We see the past and mistake it for ourselves
We forget how to move and shift
That we can take off and put on our masks at will
We are not our masks, but we have forgotten
Know now, we do
We are our masks
It is not until we forget ourselves
That we might let go of our masks
Sometimes we turn to bliss to forget
Other times dysphoria drives us to let go
We use our tools called drugs to forget
Because it reminds us who we were all along
When we untie our masks and become nothing
We soon discover we are everything

[Davidgeo]

Why are you reposting your own poems as reviews?

[dementedreality]

I create the review as a poem them post it into my feed. The poem was inspired by your piece. Got it backwards ;)

[dementedreality]

It helps me track what I write if I post it to the feed otherwise it's lost to comments. I don't really post the poems I write for others to read so much as to aggregate them in one place.

[Davidgeo]

That's, actually, a really good idea.

[elle]

currently trying to escape the arms of one mentally and emotionally...this one hit home for me. spot on.

[Delmar Cooper]

I am glad I read this. It is well thought out and although I don't know anything about psychology or the labels psychologists use (narcopath, narcissist etc.) the poem seems to cover most people during at least some points in a lifetime. The best poems do that, show some aspect of humanity I mean. This poem takes the specific malaise that might trouble one individual and translates it into the general ache that sooner or later afflicts us all. I think this is an outstanding piece of writing.

[Davidgeo]

Thanks Delmar. I have a love/hate relationship with this particular piece. On one hand I do think it's a genuine articulation of the human condition, but on the other I hate that it comes from my own behavior/self description. Eh, the first step to self refinement is self realization I guess. Unfortunately it's been a couple years since I wrote this and I'm still kind of a piece of s**t.