More Than a Hunter
Prose-hybrid-poem-thing for Poetry of the Hunt.
I am more than just a hunter, I am more than just a hunter, I am more than just a hunter, I am more—so much more. In the beginning, the hunt was to search for a better outlook, a better peace of mind, a belief that I was better than I felt I was. But, as is the way of these things, the hunt became so much more—it became everything, overwhelming every single part of my mortal coil. A coil stretched beyond reason with all the shit in my head, all that background and foreground distortion that caused alarm and daily intrusive thoughts of the third kind. And so the hunt shifted, as is the way with these things; it became about finding peace, finding reason, finding contentment.
As I fought against the internal daemons and deities of the afterbirth—the remains of my psyche, the remains of my sanity and sanctimony—I sought refuge in a cave for reflection. I am more than just a hunter, I am more than just a hunter, I am more—so much more. But reflection led to painful realisation and revelation: I was hunting not for anything I could hope to grab and hold, but for something intangible, something inconsequentially unrealistic. I was hunting for the one thing I could never find through breath alone—the answers to the why and the who, the what and the when. Aside from January 28th, the day I came forth, I still wonder, for what other reason than to exist, to connect with a higher power, to find love and companionship in fellow travellers?
To that hunt I stayed true. Yet fighting the daemons proved too much at times, and my hunt became the fight to stay upright, to keep kicking—not just living. I am more than just a hunter, I am more—so much more, than a hunter—so much more. By the time my part in this play is done, will I ever reach the end of my hunt? Will I ever hold up the trophied carcass high, or stand for a photo opportunity for posterity and pomp and circumstance? Or simple proof that I ever found what I really sought. I am more than just a hunter, I am more than just a hunter, I am more than just a hunter, I am more, so much more.
I am more than just a hunt, this is more than just a hunt,
and it made me
~
me
*
About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection out now!
Streams and Scratches in My Mind coming soon!
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Comments (9)
I really love this, Paul! The waves of thought patterns work so well for the theme of this piece, and the repetition lands beautifully! Honestly, this is a masterpiece of deep poetic prose—and the message is so relatable! Great entry, Pal!
Good
Well-wrought, Paul! To annul the subject/object division, on every plane, this seems to me the drive that leads us to the hunt, to assimilate our environment or give way to the bliss of dissolution. You capture that well here.
Excellent! You really brought it home with the switch from hunter to hunt. You can really feel the pathos, the yearning
What a great way to start an autobiography of someone. Great work.
I love how performance-centered this feels. The different levels are perfectly interwoven and give a feeling of underlying madness. Prose poetry is so easy to mess up so that makes what you've done that much more impressive! Really loved this!
WOW, this is so powerful. The repetition feels like desperation to be seen for who you are (I mean this in the best way possible). "I sought refuge in a cave for reflection" the echo of a cave tells you more about yourself than one may realize, the willingness to listen is where power comes from.
Interesting choice, a prose poem. It really conveys the chaos and crowdedness of one's thoughts in a subject like this. I enjoyed the repetition as well; it really emphasized the urgency of the subject matter. Nicely done, Paul.
Curiosity itself and the hunt for knowledge. Great subject for a poem on self exploration. Good work Paul!