The Hanged Man
An inverse poem
By Suze KayPublished 2 years ago β’ Updated 2 years ago β’ 1 min read
Before I die
I must suffer
So I may better love
Being alive
//
Nothing brings me comfort
When I fight for what I want
But cannot claim it
I have learned my lesson
//
To solve the puzzle
I flip myself
Like a white flag in the wind
I am surrendering to mystery
About the Creator
Violence Begets
"Any last words, cowboy?" "None you'd understand, sodbuster." "Funny. That's Marshall Sodbuster to you. But I meant some last nugget that would help us in the adjudication of the myriad offenses counted against you and your gang. I wasn't asking for penitence."
By Adam Diehl6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (12)
Your most published stories are seemed to be in poets. Lovely!
Sk - The "HangMansLaugh" - The Last Laugh. Jk.in.l.a.
I like the self-awareness and realisations of the speaker, almost as if they are trying to solve the puzzle of life in real-time. β When I fight for what I want But cannot claim itβ works really well as a middle for both readings. Niceπ
Suffering does make us closer to our mortality. The hanged man has lots of company. Great words.
It feels like reading up is the answer to reading down.
π
This is wonderful, and it works great both directions. Well done, as always.
So clever! My mind canβt even begin to imagine how you would tackle writing such a piece !
Excellent entry and cleverly done Suze. Itβs so good both ways, but I really liked going from bottom up, βI have learned my lesson but cannot claim itβ. Awesome stuff
That first stanza got me. The rest did not disappoint, either. Strong writing, Suze.
This reads beautifully both directions & makes deeper & fuller the meaning we find in it. I love this, Suze.
Learning to live with death, pain and the mystery of existence is not easy. This is a wonderful poem, Suze. I felt it in my bones.