I woke early to write this
At the time when the ease of dreams still lingers
From the rivers of unconscious reverie
Before the dams are built up
Because they will be
As they have been
Every day
You hate them
But I need them
They are the walls of my fortress
The one you are so keen to free me from
But I’m not a prisoner
I never was
To you freedom is
Unfiltered
Uncensored
Untethered
Un-D.K. Shepard
What good is sifting sand
Sinking in an hourglass
Take clay
Mix it with straw
Give it defined shape
Structure
Bake it in the sun
I built these barriers
brick
by
brick
My words do not flow free
As in a coursing stream
But as the slow
Drip
Drip
Drip
Of a thawing icicle
For the dam isn’t holding the current back
It’s fencing off a glacier
Protecting it from the fire
So it’s better for you
For me
For everybody
That I’m slow to speak
Because if you’re honest
You’d admit
That when I let down my guard
Neglect to patch the cracks
And spring some leaks
What comes out isn’t safe to drink
And your pursuit of openness
Becomes my oppression
To “Just say it”
To “Spit it out”
Might be easier said than done
Except
The deed is saying
So yes I may
Underplay
Understate
Underrate
But I’m not the winged moth
That you point to on an evening stroll
dancing for the night sky
With painted wings
I’m the concrete of the sidewalk
The one you trod underfoot
Every day
About the Creator
D.K. Shepard
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
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Aboulomania
Aboulomania: great indecision and an inability to, or difficulty in, making any kind of choice in a person's daily life My Connection: While I do not have the clinical disorder of aboulomania, I am notorious among friends and family for my "decision exhaustion". This state typically sets in after a long day of teaching during which so many decisions were made from great to minimal importance and every level in between. Once the exhaustion sets in I am nearly incapable of making the smallest decisions. What to eat for dinner? What to watch on TV? Whether or not to walk the dog? Which Vocal story to read? I just can't.
By D.K. Shepardabout a year ago in Poets
Getting Serious About Comedy (Part I)
If I were asked to remark on my life and the childhood that paved some road leading me to this point, I would have to say something about all the funny people who surrounded me for the last 26,872 days (and counting). Somewhere along that road, I became a big fan of laughter and the comedy that spawns it – and, I mean not only my own laughter, but the laughter of others, some of which I have actually been responsible for inducing.
By John Oliver Smith2 days ago in Humor
Comments (23)
This felt all over the place, but also connected, like someone venting or thinking it out. I especially like the last six lines, contrasting night sky with concrete sidewalk. Such a harsh, but strong closer!
This should have placed 🤯
😮🤩 I had to read this twice. I wanted to read it twice. There is so much to absorb, so many angles to explore. "And your pursuit of openness Becomes my oppression" Really great work!!!
Mesmerising. This was so clever and incredibly well written.
Congratulations for earning an Honorable Mention on this week's leaderboard for Most Discussed Stories with this piece!
Congrats on Honourable mention DK!!!! 🎉
Fascinating Stream of Consciousness poem✅…I really like: “ That when I let down my guard Neglect to patch the cracks And spring some leaks What comes out isn’t safe to drink”… Some people are oblivious of the impact of their unfiltered honesty on others 😵💫
Awesome!°❤️❤️💕
This is dark, potent and thick, like Chimole.
This is amazing, I love this different angle.
Really love how this poem shows the struggle of keeping things in and being told to open up. The glacier and bricks imagery is powerful!
This was so beautiful and wonderful entry to the unfiltered challenge!! Great work DK!!
Such clear and clever analogies and metaphors drawn here DK! Powerful message conveyed! Really something to think about... Well written!
A truly gorgeous exploration of thoughts, D.K.! I really loved the rhymes here: "Uncensored Untethered Un-D.K. Shepard" :) An outstanding entry!
Whoaaaa, this was soooo profound! You nailed this challenge!
Wow. I mean wow! Simply extraordinary, DK. That finale cracked like a whip and stung hard. I am in awe!
You might just have a winner here, methinks.
I admire the fact that you didn't just "fake it" with this, as I'm sure many of us did. We create the filters out of necessity, for the reader's/listener's sake. Another masterpiece from D.K!
This is just spellbinding, D.K. That image of the moth. There's something so vulnerable about moths. I don't know why.
I loved how this unfolded and the shift in perspective from what is perceived as normal to what is normal for you. This is a stand-out piece!! And I loved this line, 'What comes out isn’t safe to drink'.
Wow...stunningly profound and raw, and richly and beautifully composed. This is a really, really fantastic entry, D.K.!!
This is entirely relatable, DK, and brilliantly stated. I am in awe of those who can crank out volumes of work, but I cannot relate to that. Your “drip, drip, drip” I can relate to. I suspect, however, that when you let down your guard, the results are quite palatable, even if you are not entirely comfortable with it. Well done, my friend. Save more morning time for that beautiful vulnerable writing!
Wow. I loved the honesty of this and how you interwined your thoughts on the form with your approach to writing and as a person. Incredible really. I guess, from tha point of view...we should be grateful that you don't rush the latest DK Shepard gem. Really did love this and knew you'd be good with the form even if it's out of your comfort zone! Glad too to be first commenter!