The Weight of Nothing, Something
Prose/Stream - soliloquy
Darkness, impenetrable intangible, casts its unrelenting shadow over me. Reprieve and relief have become obscure ideals, experiential relics of a past the memory of which slowly dissipates into nothing. People tend to misunderstand nothing. In its own cruel way, nothing is something. When it's your only something, you cling to it as I cling to it. I've long forgotten what it felt like to have something—anything worthy of pride and a sense of achievement. “True hope... is swift." "True hope is swift... and flies with swallow's wings. Kings it makes gods and meaner creatures kings." What is hope?
There is light... somewhere... beyond my corrupted dominion. King Macbethad mac Findláech. A bright and shining beacon of hope. One that sadly eludes me. There was a time, when the light illuminated my pathway, but that seems so long ago now. "To persist... " Sorry, need to clear my throat. "To persist... in doing wrong." Something that many do not appreciate. "Doing wrong... extenuates not the wrong... no, but makes it much more heavy."
Why did...why did I expect anything different? Woe is me many would say. “Life's but..." the borrowed words of a dead man "... a walking shadow, a poor player." When the end comes, of course, that is what will become of me. "That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more."
In my perpetual blankness, I know and have found saddening contentment and acceptance that my time on the stage is no more.
*
Thanks for reading!
Author's Notes: The above features quotes from Shakespeare's Richard III, Troilus and Cressida, and Macbeth.
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Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
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Comments (13)
Brilliant job weaving the Shakespeare quotes together into your own poetic narrative! Well done, Paul!
Seems you've made some beautiful words out of that nothing. Well done
The heaviness in this lament is palpable. Clearly, nothingness is a weightier burden than most of us realize! This one is going to stay with me for a while, an indication that it has triggered something unconscious in my own psyche! Great writing, Paul!
What a way to use Shakespeare's words in a contemporary way. Good work.
Woa! This feels like Shakespeare met emo vibes in a beautifully dramatic way! Love the poetic dive into darkness—super intense, but kinda mesmerizing!✨👏
“Life's but..." the borrowed words of a dead man "... a walking shadow, a poor player." That was soooo deep, Sir Paul! 🍩🥐
That’s a cracking last line and I love the way you weaved Shakespeare into this piece. Excellent!
Woah! That was such an amazing read ✨👍
What an amazing and well-penned piece, Paul. I loved the echoes of Shakespeare so much.
This gives me the feeling of todAys world, amazing how somethings remain relevant Beautifully done
I always appreciate your take on Shakespeare! The "I had to clear my throat" part made me smile. Great work my friend!!
Thought-provoking stuff, Paul!
Paul- this poem reflects much about what is going on in the world at this time. For what it is worth, you have taken the nothingness and constructed a poem that speaks to the disappointment that hope has been dimmed -- in oh so many ways. This is sad and depressing but a well done work of the day!