A Poem, 12.30.22-1.2.23

Despair came knocking, I let her in for a while

Lost so much, now myself, I feel in denial

Felt so much, I don't want to feel anymore

I'm so tired, so tired of feeling so sore

The sharp blade pierces into my chest

It hurts, now the feeling's even stronger

Ain't no saving me, ain't no saving me

For I won't be here any more longer

    Started writing this on the 30th of last month during my winter break since I remembered that we would have to present a spoken word poem in ELA class. I wanted to make something dark, something which could shock or impress my teacher and classmates, so I wrote the first stanza on the 30th, and just finished it. I most likely won't be presenting this though, not because it's dark, but because spoken word poetry's supposed to be about self-expression and sharing views on certain topics, and mine doesn't really do that.

    One last thing, parts of the poem are inspired by songs such as 'Despair Came Knocking' by Daniel Johnston, 'I'm So Tired' by Fugazi, 'Superman That' by Injury Reserve, and 'FEEL.' by Kendrick Lamar. The FEEL. influence may not be easy to detect though, the 3rd line on the 2nd stanza was going to be "Nobody's praying for me, no one saving me" which would've made it more clear.

    What do you all think?

-Anthony “Salteh” S. • • •