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Tuesday 6 July 2010

Sunken Dreams: A Poem From The My Struggle With Unemployment Series


Sunken Dreams: A Poem From The 
My Struggle With Unemployment Series

I sailed a barge of purest gold
That travelled far on clear blue seas
Aware of mists that followed stern
And ships that chased my golden dreams

In ports I berthed that welcomed me 
And treated me the conquering lord
But masks would hide my failing charms
As rot was all that lay onboard

The sea would roar beyond the cliffs
As winds blew dreams down empty streets
And beggars gathered in cardboard homes
As sweat and vomit masked excrete

A shadow fell on yesterday
As clouds crept in on stifled air
Alone inside I hid the truth
That stares down barrels fraught with fear

I came to rest where once I prayed
For here now lies my wasted years
And pass the stones that told my fate
As storms grew strong I battled tears

I stopped to smell my favourite bloom
That always flowered so fragrantly
But what’s the point, I broke its stem
Then turned and fled away from here.....


For those of you that have followed my journey there should always be hope, but I have lost some of that. I have a hearing set for unpaid bills which I now face with bated breath. I look at all I have and what I have given my family and I see it slipping away. My poem, Sunken Dreams, reflects this..

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image creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr-trix/

28 comments:

Brian Miller said...

dude...hope the court case goes well...not easy at all...scrapping by myself on part time the last 18 months...there is hope...cling to that...nicely said...

Patty Sherry said...

The last four lines of your poem are so powerful that i can feel you and see the expression on your face. It's a true surrendering to how you feel ( and I don't say that in a defeated way) but rather a facing head on that it sucks. You've really expressed that well.

May you swim through what seems like a shit pool and emerge refreshed with answers and change.

PoeticHeart said...

Incredibly well written. So many hardships to surpass. Amazing talent seen in this poetry of yours. ~April

Anonymous said...

oh pete... good luck.
as they say...

"this, too, shall pass."

moondustwriter said...

I know the journey too well.

Pete you give the reader a view of how the struggle of life can mar one's appreciation for the simplest of beauties.

Looking at Maslowe's hierarchy of needs -we need to meet the basic needs before we can delve into the ascetic.

Monkey Man said...

I have walked the road of highs and lows. Hope your case goes well and you return to the highs.

signed...bkm said...

Peter, a great piece of work, as I read from one of my favorites - Thomas Merton...."Faith is what we have when there is nothing left.." and hope is right there with it....blessings...bkm

TALON said...

"The sea would roar beyond the cliffs
As winds blew dreams down empty streets
And beggars gathered in cardboard homes
As sweat and vomit masked excrete" - this stanza is so heartbreaking. It makes me think of the world not caring while people go without. You write so eloquently of something that has to be beyond stressful.

I hope all goes well with your hearing.

Anonymous said...

sorry for all your troubles... keep smelling the flowers because even if the stems break, they are beautiful...wishing you better days ahead. Heartspell

Unknown said...

My very best friends are in your same circumstance. It is not easy out there right now. I hope and pray that your court case goes in your favor and that the perfect employment opportunity comes your way very soon.

Oh, and despite the subject matter, I thought you executed this poem very well...the metaphors were brilliant.

Maude Lynn said...

The last lines are just breathtaking.

Jingle said...

almost everyone can relate to this,
beautiful job!
you survive one way or another,
great things wait for you....
;)

Claudia said...

A poem from the depths or your heart.
We have also friends who lost their work because of the economical crisis and lots had to fear to loose their work. What I have learned - our worth does not depend on our work - but on who we are - and yet I know - there are bills to be paid.
Wish you all the best! Claudia

PattiKen said...

This is so beautiful, heartfelt, and sad. I hope things begin to turn around for you soon. Good luck with the court hearing.

Kira Stann said...

Hi Pete,

This poem to me, represents strife and struggle, and though it seems there is no hope left...in the verse:
I stopped to smell my favourite bloom
That always flowered so fragrantly
But what’s the point, I broke its stem
Then turned and fled away from here.....
There will be new shoots of life, even though the bloom is gone, and hope is something that is always there when you reach for it.
This is a beautiful poem and speaks so eloquently!

Christine Ramsay said...

I have just read you struggle with unemployment series, Pete and have been really touched by it. Through these struggles you have written such powerful and moving poetry and I am sure you have connected with many in a similar situation. I do hope things improve for you soon. I wish you all the luck in the world.christineramsay

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh.. this was very touching, Pete...
This poem is so amazingly written that it has left me wondering about many people and their lives...
Do take care, and have a warm July..
My best wishes are with you! After every night, there indeed is a day!
Keep the verses flowing..

Chris G. said...

Simply superb. A haunting, unapologetic look at the world at its darkest...relatable, beautiful, and tragic.

Like the others posting here, I wish to you all the haste in the world in carrying through these troubles.

Ruth said...

It's very painful, what is happening, what you are sharing. I'm grateful that you're this open. We need it.

As I told my English students after the economy tanked going on two years ago, when suddenly I felt the weight of it hearing about the deep cuts to our departmental programs, we have to keep writing when things are bad, creating art. Bless you for doing that, this was moving. Wishing you better days VERY soon.

Marshy said...

i just wanted to thankyou all for your well wishes.. the hearing is in a month so i have time to put my papers in some sort of order.. i wanted to use this verse today for the launch of One Shot for two reasons..this series has been a great tool for helping not only myself but others also in the same situation...i have been writing it since April and have received so much feedback and thanks and am grateful that it has helped so many..i also wanted to start One Shot today with this so you can see how much One shot & especially One Stop Poetry means to me. I have been lucky to have found Leslie & Brian and together we hope this venture gets the success we feel it deserves...many thanks Pete

Lorenzo — Alchemist's Pillow said...

A wrenching poem. I hope that "favorite bloom" will return for you soon, Peter, and see better times come your way.

Fireblossom said...

Not having a job for a week or two is lovely indeed, but not having a job for longer than that gets hellish. Best of luck, and thanks for the visit and comment to this One Shot newbie.

Katherine Krige said...

Your words and emotions are eloquent and touching. Your struggle is a heartbreaking one that is familiar to many. I appreciate all the work that you, Leslie and Brian are doing with One Shot and hope that helps to give you some direction. Sometimes life needs to slap us in the face to make us stop, assess and find a new and (hopefully) better path. Good luck and may the road lose some of its divets.

desk49 said...

touching poem

"Thought why me
Thought I"

It brought these words to mind. there in a poem I wrote but have not posted yet.

joanna said...

Peter,

I am a little well a lot behind in posting and keeping up, next week will commit to posting on Wednesday.

Life is strange --- I wish I had some magical potion to hand out to make things right, but I do not. Like Jingle commented so many of us are or have struggled with adversity and I find blogging and writing helps me gain a new perspective,especially reading other writers works. It has been a truly healing balm.

May the good lord be with you and your family and trust that the divine has better plans for you.

Joanny

Anonymous said...

another great poem from a great poet.. i hope your problems will leave you away..love your poems as always :D

Anonymous said...

Hang in there, Pete. Sending thoughts your way, hoping that the winds shift soon and bring only good news.

Marshy said...

hi all...just had a recent comment posted and it gave me the time to reflect on this verse..indeed we had our first court case and the judge was sympathetic to our plight and put things on hold for a further 6 months..however we have another to face in a few weeks..still hanging in there and there is always hope..cheers Pete