About the Poem

I wrote this poem a few days ago in response to my feelings on sorrow. Having slacked into depression, I oddly felt motivation to write it down. It's about sadness, and how it seems to affect and alter reality. The poem goes through the motions of someone's first contact with a specific sorrow. Then, as it progresses through the setting, it brings the reader (and the narrator) back to harsh reality. The cigarettes (and the smoke) are symbolic of a memory.

Darkened Cigarettes

by Shane Downing

Alone, in front of the expanse of black,
Light from the side but faith no more,
A moment to ponder before I crack,
And I reach for the pain without a sore.

It eludes me, that devious and sly thought,
Leaving the notion of immense disease,
A smile - receiving the item that I sought,
But it's a lie - I'm brought to my knees.

One, the sender, blinks and turns away,
Finding solace in personal deceptions,
Letting this helpless being cry and stray,
Upon the brink of futile conceptions.

Once - just maybe - there had been the rose,
Impish grins shining to respond in aluminum,
But the heart - it feels what the mind knows,
Sensing pain in edifices and a small crumb.

Falling, now, with no signs of stopping known,
Occasional hints with the facade of light to see,
Snapping and breaking every single bone,
Yet one would see an untouched body.

Light - the purifying source of all knowledge and lies,
Those Mundane objects re-attaching mortal debts,
Here - no, perhaps there, light returns and deeply sighs,
Streaming the curling smoke of darkened cigarettes.

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15 Visitor Comments

Lela

wow that was really great i loved it i felt like you were writing from my point of view u said alot of what i want to so much better than i ever could, ur a talented poet keep it up! -another depresses chic

paige

wow! this really deep it really touched me keep up the great work

Heather

I really liked this poem because it's really sad and just gets everything.

Ashlee

i love your poem

kat

omg i really liked this poem its better than all of them

Brittany

this poem touched me in ways that i thought werent possible anymore. thank you for that

Courtney

This poem was very well written and I really liked it.

Sherry

I thought that this poem was very well written. You could see and feel what the writer was going through. The emotions, and sorrow. The analogys were also very good. I enjoyed reading this emensly and I hope to see more from this writer.

Matty

hey this is a mad poem i love it. ur a champion. some of those words hit pretty deep nice job

erin beth

you are beautiful, and so is your piece. I never been a fan of rhyme, however you have used it wisely. I don't even know you, but i can still say that i am proud to know poets like you exists. thank you for you talent and honesty

Kayla

This poem is very good. It made me feel something inside that is unexplainable. thanks

lina

perfect! This is what i'd spent the night looking for. Talent, intellectuallity and genuine sincerity through the eyes of a true expressionist. Finally, thank-you. You have made my day.

barbara

man, that was like one of the most heart-felt poems i've ever read. it just takes my breath away.

Meagan

I have not enough praise for you. This poem is priceless and unforgetable. It really did touch me in a way nothing ever has, so i thank you with all my heart

christy

this poem is so awesome, and it is one of the best ive ever read. -=christy=-

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