The Phantom Limbs
Have I disassociated from my own body as well?
Inside -
Wobbly walking,
The body jaggedly swipes - THERE’S A WALL THERE!!
Dropping plates, mugs and ☕️
Half-filled water bottles across the carpet, (just vacuumed!)
Chicken noodle soup washes the bottom of
The white walls.
Tripping over my very own feet,
Or are these limbs not mine?
I know my mind disassociates,
Yet am I disassociating from
My own body as well?
The droopy left eye returns! 👁 -
The SPLITTING has begun.
“You’re just very depressed,” he said.
“Why do I talk in slo-mo like I’m half-dead?”
“Perhaps in a way you are..,” was his reply.
Maybe the dark-half is finally about to take over,
Not yet sure of the functionality of these here limbs!
Argh!
At home, he hits his forehead repeatedly with
Clasped palms,
Maybe he can foolishly reset his brain in this way, or
In time, perhaps he’ll realise how to
Efficiently use these limbs -
THE TAKEOVER will be complete! -
In both mind, limb and soul,
Yes it will - as he gleefully holds up the palms of his hands together,
As if to begin an evil cursed prayer and he
Aims to tap his villainous fingers together, but so awkwardly,
The fingertips keep missing each other,
Maybe there is hope yet -
*
Thanks very much for reading.
About the Creator
Grz Colm
Film and TV reviews, 🎞 as well as short stories and free verse poems.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH3 days ago in Critique
Comments (18)
Love the twisty turny weirdness of this 😁
Been seeing a bit of this lately, forgetting where i put the soup...😂and phantom pieces mixing with phantom this and that. You have company, Sir G. we are a a bit googly eyed for sure. Love this a lot.
Thought I was the only one withe the noodle soup. Sometimes I feel like this, disassociated and lost, i feel this poem for real. truth in the words.
Lol you mentioned chicken noodle soup in a poem! That was amazing! Fantastic work!
Surreal and impressively written!!!
I could really sense the struggle between mind and body, like a battle happening within. The emotions hit hard, but there’s also a hint of hope at the end.
Excellent piece wow ♦️☘️☘️♦️
Wow. This is fabulous. The dark side clumsy with the limbs. So creative. Well done, indeed.
Captivating piece! Fabulous job!
Yikes. This happened to me just about a month ago! Suddenly cramped and fell…couldn’t walk for a while, wobbling just like this. Let’s hope all of us can clear the fog and move on! Engaging!
ooof, felt this one! I like the last beat being a mildly hopeful and optimistic one in the midst of so much fogginess
This seems like just life to me. Good work.
When I disassociate, I keep still. What are you doing trying to move around? As you can see, it's a risky business! I'm sorry you experienced this; it's not usually good, and I'm glad it didn't take over totally. It's a great stream-of-consciousness poem, and I hope you are okay.
Grz, your inner mind is communicating loud and clear in this stream of consciousness. excellent work!
I mean, you've tagged this as humour but I felt anxiety here too, a genuine concern. I liked the way you used "my" but also "his" and "he" to create dissociation literally literally. And that ending, whilst being comically hopeful, still mixes that humour and worry.
Omgggg, this was so scaryyyy to me! Like I've never even thought of dissociating from our body. Like is that even possible? New fear unlocked 😅😅
That was quite the venture, Grz! I felt the clumsiness and despair of the words, not knowing what will happen next. Finding an anchor can be tough when you don't know who or what is in control. Excellent work!!!
This is so relatable, that it almost hurts. Hoping all is alright with you, Grz.