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Epoch

Free Verse

By Aspen Marie Published 6 months ago 1 min read
Photo: mine

I found a maggot today

Sweeping the corners

Of the back door

Flies invited themselves in

Alongside strong men

Shouldering heavy loads

Wood, concrete

Nails and tools

Tolerable side effect

Of diligent effort

Relentless buzzing chafed

Already frayed nerves

Upon opening the door

(A courtesy of mine)

They refused to fly out

Preferring present company

Over outdoor unknowns

When stillness finally returned

An annoying question persisted

I wondered where

death’s little shadows

Had skulked

Frye said cycles

Are a recurring feature

Connecting humans

With nature

Rhythmic patterns

Forever calling us

Back to ourselves

Analogies frame understanding

Of our existence

While irony distances us

From worlds

We would reject

One diligent soul

Exerted much effort

Endeavouring to teach

Irony’s many faces

Is it ironic

That I did not comprehend

Its true nature

Until a single sentence

In an old book

Though, even now

I am unsure

Someone please

Beat it into my brain

Make me a chart

I’m done with distance

Distance is an illusion

All atoms span evenly

between us all

Guilt still lingers

Should I fish out

A single grub

From a garbage can

Living thing deserving its life

Or is it the proper place

Of rebirth

To begin the cycle

All over again

Free Verse

About the Creator

Aspen Marie

In love with life and all of its foibles.

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  1. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

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    Writing reflected the title & theme

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Comments (3)

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  • Dharrsheena Raja Segarran6 months ago

    Whoaaaa, that was so freaking deep. And to think that ot started with a maggot, lol. You are so freaking talented!

  • Tim Carmichael6 months ago

    It’s strange how something as small as a maggot can open the door to such deep thought.

  • Euan Brennan6 months ago

    This era of basement renovation is one to remember! Are maggots better than asbestos?... Probably not. 😂 All of your free verse poems are so... I don't know, mystical? I can't think of the right word, but they take me away and I get swept up in reading them. Another stunning poem, Marie (your name will stay as Marie for now in my brain because I've used it too many times). 😂

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