My Existence Flattens



How do I pull myself up from darkness,
where is the light, will my eyes find a hold?
My cold hand is but searching, baseless
without its fit, it slides in my shade’s mold
and it reaches just to find an untold
empty space of uselessness, gruesome void.
No place to stay, drifting like an asteroid
how much is left of me then, who am I?
The night takes long, no second to avoid,
my life’s flushed, in hollow strokes goes by.

About this poem

Poem in the form of a dizain, inspired by a work of art. This particular form was a favorite of 15th and 16th century French poets, but it has also been employed in English by the likes of Philip Sidney and John Keats.

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Submitted by ludy_b on November 15, 2021

Modified by acronimous on November 18, 2021

27 sec read
141

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABBCCDCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 431
Words 90
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10

Ludy Bührs

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

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Discuss the poem "My Existence Flattens" with the community...

2 Comments
  • Dougla$Irishman
    This poem depicts a life looking at itself all the time and seeing a life devoid of purpose. Living to one's self will produce this but a giving life will enhance others.
    Seek and you shall find ! But having a name like Ludy is priceless ! Win some and lose some ! 
    LikeReply 12 years ago
    • ludy_b
      This poem depicts the feelings a drawing gave me, trying to put myself in the place of the drawn figure and its shadow.
      LikeReply2 years ago
  • Soulwriter
    How interesting :)
    LikeReply2 years ago
    • ludy_b
      You mean the poetic form or the content?
      LikeReply2 years ago
    • Soulwriter
      the form in particular :)
      LikeReply2 years ago

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"My Existence Flattens" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/114074/my-existence-flattens>.

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