Empty

A hollow log lays in a bog, the outside appears just fine

By blight struck, filled with muck, a cancer seen as benign

Time will tell, as it dissolves the shell, revealing what's inside

What appears solid, an illusion squalid, majesty that has died

A bark once light now dark drips saturated as the sea

Under stretched skin what lies within is all that we be 

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

Your hollow log reminds me of how cancer can eat away and ravage the human body, leaving death and decay in its wake. The imagery lingers Soren. To survive, the cancer has to be eradicated. Cut out, burned and poisoned. I’ve experienced all three. A thought provoking write. Have a lovely day.

Chris

[Soren]

Thank you Chris for your most intimate review yes you are so correct and the cancer needn't be only physical but may be psychological or emotional.

[RomaJ]

Soren, this poem has a quiet, haunting power. I love how you use the image of the hollow log to explore hidden decay and the tension between outward appearances and inner reality. The language is vivid and tactile.. the dark, saturated bark and the dissolving shell create a sense of time and inevitability. It lingers in the mind, inviting reflection.

[Soren]

Thank you so much Roma for your review and kind understanding words of interpretation. You got the point fully and it is most appreciated

[Jansy]

The hollow log feels like such a perfect metaphor for the way we carry hidden weight inside, and the way you describe the decay and what’s revealed is hauntingly vivid. makes me pause and consider what’s beneath the surface, both in nature and in ourselves.

[Soren]

Thank you so much for the review and understanding interpretation. The other day I was cutting a dead tree that I hoped to use for a post on a garage only to find that it was hollow inside and would not withstand the rot of the ground were it to be buried. It brought this poem to mind.