I never feel lonely
On empathy and apathy
I never feel lonely
Except when I look at the stars
And then I am not lonely for my own sake
But for those little fires burning so far apart
*
I never feel sad
Except when I hear the joy of a child
And then I don’t mourn for my own sake
But for the youth who’s laughter only lasts for a while
*
I never feel ruined
Except when I see someone abused
And I do not hurt for my own sake
But for the creature so roughly misused
*
I never feel hopeless
Except when people argue for war
And I don’t despair for my own sake
But for another generation who deserved so much more
*
I never feel damned
Except when I am feeling quite well
And then I don’t burn for my own sake
But for my brothers and sisters living in hell
*
And I never feel tired
Except every fucking day
Though I’m not exhausted for my own sake
But for the people still fighting for change
*
And I never feel apathy
Until I wake from my rest
To see I have atrophied by the constant mistake
Of never putting empathy to the test
*
***
Empathy rots away to apathy and the atrophy of all feeling if it is not sustained by action.
The brain resolves the cognitive dissonance between caring and inaction by putting those cares to death.
About the Creator
Sam Spinelli
Trying to make human art the best I can, never Ai!
Help me write better! Critical feedback is welcome :)
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FPS: The Last Flame Challenge Winners
Welcome to our first Winners Announcement of the year and to the final challenge in the Fall Poetry Series. The Last Flame invited writers to sit with endings, using fire as a central image to consider what remains when something burns out: ash, warmth, memory, silence, or the faint promise of what comes next. The strongest pieces treated endings as gradual rather than sudden, allowing them to flicker, dim, and linger.
By Vocal Curation Team6 days ago in Resources
Comments (5)
Powerfully said. Those last lines… the danger of dissonance and our refusal to face them
Whoaaa, this was deeper than the deepest depths of the ocean. Loved your poem!
Wow. How deep and powerful is that poem . Amazing. Hope there’s more to come.
When in love, she is honest with each other; when the love fades, she leaves politely. She neither pesters nor humbles. She is excellent enough to live without anyone. She cherishes all unexpected encounters and takes all unannounced departures lightly. She is composed and graceful, creating her
I really enjoyed this! I love the “I never feel…” concept repeating. Super cool idea. Based on your bio, I wanted to say that the rhythm of your poem alternates drastically in the last lines of most stanzas. It can be a stylistic choice, but for some readers that choice can be shocking sometimes if done too often. I’d try to shorten “To see I have atrophied by the constant mistake” for example. But even without that, it’s a strong poem with a thoughtful message. Thank you for writing it!