Daniel Henry Rodgers | + Follow Poet |
Dramatic Monologue | + Fav Poem | Comment | Email | Print |

Notes About The Poem

Pulse of the Poet's Abyss

Daniel Henry Rodgers

 

Here is the third installment of the Halloween Season.

"...where every inked line crafted is a living bridge that is both a lifeline and a tightrope, connecting shores of possibility while balancing precariously between idea and reality-- inviting sojourners to cross into the new realm of my lucid imagination." Daniel Henry Rodgers

========================

 

 

Pulse of the Poet's Abyss

In my chambers where phantasmagoria undulate
    not as vigilant watchers but as mnemonic parasites
    I ruminate—
        no longer a singular entity but a disjointed duality
            my quintessence a quivering quasar
                ensnared in the nexus of nihility and internal conflagration

The air thick as unspoken grief
    souring decay wafts through breath
Each gasp a ghostly grasp
    carries utterances of the undead
Each breath invokes the séance
    each heartbeat conjurer's or responds—
        summoning ghouls that wear my face
            or is it I who seek them?

Oh how the walls wail
    not with tears but with the timidity of time
        gathering into pools of godforsaken memories
I plunge my quill
no, my very being
    into the abyss
        with each stroke
            do I pull truths or lies from the dark?
                With every stroke something emerges
                    do I summon them, or do they press of their own will?

Listen—
    the thread of time unravels
        its fraying edges tremble
            reaching for the past.

Time is no longer a devouring desolation
    but an endless ending-evolving flagellation
        leaving storm clouds of what once was.
In its depths dead faces rise—
    do I call them or do they find me?
    Hundreds thousands—
        not mere reflections
            but shades of silence where once there was song.
                They are not hellions haunting me
                    But figments I conjured
                        of a forgotten self I feared
and yet the self I begged to return
inviting dread I thought to escape.

Each visage holds a story gothic—
    a path abandoned, dreams left to diminish
        laments of laughter turned to sibilance
            the weight of choices left wrecked
                hectoring me for such is the price of indecision.

The heavens condemn—
    a sound older than obscurity
        thunders through my bones
            rumbles with ancient sorrows.
Its consonance is neither mocking nor cruel
    but indifferent eternal.

I am no bufoon
    or am I? The echo rings—
        but whose voice haunts these shadows?
        Am I a fragment cast adrift
            my mind twists--a sinuosity--
                or a storm badgering my mind?
                    It gathers in my chest—
                    but did I call this tempest forth?

Beneath my skin something stirs—
    cells rebel marrow microfractures flesh quakes.
I am not a miracle—
    I elucidate
        a delicate disassembly
            awaiting to reveal the reckoning of my existence.

Yet in this fury of decay
    a spark persists--
   not a signpost of hope
    but an act of defiance—
        nurtured by the doubts
            that threaten to extirpate me.
I am both eclipse and ember—
my light grazes the edges of oblivion
   yet I ponder— do I burn or do I fade…into what?
    an icy breath of inarticulate thoughts.
        a scintilla that burns
            even as stars collapse.
                
With pen as my rusted rapier
    And words as my ligneous shield
I carve a path through this maze of dread—
    each verse a ward
        each line a seal.
I won’t write myself into oblivion—
or is oblivion what I have begun to finsse?
Or is that the ink I spill?
        Each word is a tether or a snare
    writing me home
            or drawing me deeper into caliginous catacombs

For in this chiaroscuro of existence
    I obsess between ostracism and resurgence—
my voice a spectral vociferate, a fulgent flickering
that dances on the edges of reality, refusing to fade.
        but do I lurk or am I what lingers?
        The dream I wrought or the breathless awakening?
            Am I the night terror mapped from memory?
                or the one who splinters it upon waking—
yes I am the haunted and the haunter of my own soul
    or am I neither?

So let the abyssal fear arise-
My bleeding heart quakes beneath the weight
    do I summon them, or do they intrude
something creeping unbidden into light?
I hold vigil in the abyss—
    not as a lighthouse guiding the lost
        but as an eagle owl’s egg—
            fragile, unbroken, yet untested—
               waiting to crack or waiting to hatch.
Not a warning,
    but a covenant.

For in the end aren't we all
    just powder kegs waiting to ignite?

And as the curtain falls
    on this endless stage
        remember dear wayfaring reader:

            in this world of quantum uncertainties
                the line between verity and illusion / delusion—
                    each poet's bard heartbeat conjures
                    a catharsis or a cataclysm—
                        benediction or malediction, genesis or terminus—
                            the tenuous threshold twixt lucidity and the lunacy—
and I—
    I am the ink-pulsing blood muse, the essence of all my fear...

Please Login to post a comment

1 2

Michael Tor Date: 11/4/2024 6:27:00 PM Such imagination and creativity shown here by you Daniel. Horror instilled into the readers heart you have mastered. A spider web you have woven to capture the readers imagination as you guide him with your terror keeping the reader from escaping your web of torture. Keep up the good work perfect for Halloween. Off to the next one... Login to Reply

Mike Bayles Date: 10/28/2024 7:21:00 AM Powerful poem, Daniel. I like how it builds tension. I especially like the line, "air as thick as grief." I love the ending. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 11/1/2024 5:40:00 AM Hello Mike, Thank you for your insightful comments and your visit. I am always so appreciative! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Victor Buhagiar Date: 10/27/2024 10:13:00 AM Inner thoughts come and go and written in such a masterful way. One needs to read your poem deeply. Such excellence. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 11/1/2024 5:39:00 AM Dear Victor, Thank you again my dear friend, and it is always a great joy to see your comments. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Valsa George Date: 10/27/2024 5:54:00 AM Indeed a classic ! A real masterpiece written by a poet maestro. I stay gape mouthed by the fluidity of your epic thoughts conjuring confusion and terror in the reader's mind. I have fallen into the deep chasm you have created here with master strokes. This journey into your psyche is arduous and it needs several readings to explicate the meaning of your poem and the muddle of thoughts that keep brewing in your mind. "With pen as my rusted rapier And words as my ligneous shield I carve a path through this maze of dread— each verse a ward each line a seal." Your pen is not a rusted rapier, but a sharp, shining, slashing cutlass, thrusting deep into the hearts. The sense of horror you have created is just in keeping with the spirit of Halloween. Congratulations on your well deserved POTD Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 6:17:00 AM Ahhh, Dear Valsa, You made my day with your insightful insight and introspections on this poem. I wanted to create this as a journey through the mind of a poet from the perspective of Halloween and the spirits of the mind. I am always so grateful for your words and thoughts on my poems. Thank You for being a friend!! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Brandy Nicole Date: 10/26/2024 6:14:00 PM Dear Daniel, through the deep, dark corners of the mind, clever creations collide. Oh, my ! We're not reviewing a soft, scary story, but the inner thoughts of a crazy soul. I must say, you truly know how to create the mood with your words. Congratulations my dear friend, on Poem of the Day. My best to you. :) Hugs, Brandy Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 4:50:00 AM Dear Brandy, Thank you for your visit to the Haunting of the Mind. LOL! Taking my counselor's mind into the realms of something darker. Thank you again, and I look forward to reading more of your beautiful poems. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Benjamin Bartley Date: 10/26/2024 5:37:00 PM Very festive poem. Very lovecrafted and macabre. Glad it made it to the POTD. Congratulations! And as always, thanks for sharing! Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 4:51:00 AM Hello Benjamin, Thank you for your comments and I really enjoyed the challenge to write something more macabre and haunting for this season. I appreciate your support. Autumn Blessings, My Friend, Daniel

I Am Anaya Date: 10/26/2024 3:57:00 PM Back with congratulations on your POTD Daniel Rogers! Enjoy your day~Anaya Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 6:13:00 AM Dear Anaya, You are the best and I am so glad to call you my friend, Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Hilda Greenhough Date: 10/26/2024 3:42:00 PM Your poem is Halloween terror brought to its highest apex. I enjoyed reading it. I'll read it again on eve of the 31st. Beware those knocks on the door, "Trick or Treat." Congratulations on POTD. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 6:13:00 AM Dear Hilda, Ahhh... Thank you for your visit and comments. I was thrilled to hear that you will read it on Halloween! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Bill Baker Date: 10/26/2024 12:43:00 PM Congratulations on your outstanding and unique POTD, Daniel! An enjoyable read, my friend. Enjoy your special day of recognition. A poet friend in Texas, Bill Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:58:00 AM Hello Bill, my poet friend from Texas! Thank you, and it was wonderful seeing your comments this morning. I hope that you and Sarah are doing well and enjoying the weekend. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Darlene De Beaulieu Date: 10/26/2024 10:40:00 AM Hello Daniel, congratulations on the P)OTD. enjoy your special day. Blessings my fcriend. /Darlene/ Login to Reply Darlene De Beaulieu Date: 10/27/2024 3:23:00 PM Hello Rodger, I hope you are having a nice weekend. My weekend is just fine. thank you. Your welcome for the comments. blessings my friend. /Darlene/ Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:57:00 AM Dear Darlene, I hope that your weekend is filled with joy. Thank you for your congrats and I am thankful for your comments. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Crystol Woods Date: 10/26/2024 9:45:00 AM Wow quite an epic piece! Love the alliteration and language used... very vivid and full of queries we all think. Relatable and emotional write! Xoxo Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:56:00 AM Dear Crystol, Ahhh, Thank you for your kind and beautiful words. I am always so grateful for your visits. Autumn Blessings, MY Dear Friend, Daniel

Paula Goldsmith Date: 10/26/2024 7:42:00 AM Congratulations on your POTD win. What a write. I enjoyed reading your wonderful write again. Enjoy your day/weekend with your win.... Have a blessed Autumn day writing away................. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:55:00 AM Dear Paul, You are always the best at leaving such wonderful comments, and I appreciate them. I hope that you are having an beautiful weekend writing. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Danei

Joseph May Date: 10/26/2024 7:07:00 AM The storms within create a duality that surges and ebbs as each ghostly specter takes the stage, Congrats on POTD Login to Reply

Tom Woody Date: 10/26/2024 6:14:00 AM Enjoy your special day big guy Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:53:00 AM Hello Tom, Thanks for dropping a note on this day. I am always grateful for your support. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Tania Kitchin Date: 10/26/2024 5:52:00 AM Daniel, a great dark and creepy poem, congratulations on POTD. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:52:00 AM Dear Tania, Thank you and I am so grateful! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Victor Buhagiar Date: 10/26/2024 5:39:00 AM Great. A well-deserving POTD. Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:50:00 AM Dear Victor, I hope you are having a great weekend. Thank you for your words! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Regina Elliott Date: 10/26/2024 4:38:00 AM A brilliant Poe-esque poem, Daniel. Just amazing. Congratulations on POTD with this monumental penning, dear friend. Bravissimo! Enjoy your special poetry day. Blessings :)))) Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:50:00 AM Dear Regina, Ahhh thanks my dear friend for all your amazing support. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Lin Lane Date: 10/26/2024 4:30:00 AM Oh, Daniel. You've either been led down the stairs by those who do the devil's work, or you've fallen into that deep abyss you wrote about. But you have the means of escape...plunge your quill into ink, which you also recognize as a poet's blood. We throw ourselves into our verses; you've thrown yourself into this one! Alliteration is not overdone. Yes, you are the ink-pulsing blood of your muse, but as long as you hold the pen, you're in control. Fantastic fictional write for a potd. Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 10/27/2024 4:37:00 PM Seasonal muses... now there's an idea. I can picture them... 3 months for each of them. lol Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:49:00 AM Dear Lin, I think my muse/bard has so much creative information that moves through my brain that I cannot capture it all. During seasons, I try to bring in the muse of that season. It almost sounds like I have multiple personalities. LOL! Nonetheless, as you said, I need to keep control of the pen. Thanks for all your support! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Maria Williams Date: 10/26/2024 4:12:00 AM Dear Daniel, this is an Epic classic, a macabre literary piece with a POE-m twist that any analyses will not do justice to. So just two words. BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN. You vast vocabulary is astonishing as are your ideas, and dare I say imagination - where on earth do you get them from, and memorise them. Congratulations on your POTD. I haven't looking at PS for the last couple of days as we were making the tribute for a dear friend. Thank you for sharing your brilliant writings. Hugs Maria Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:30:00 AM Dear Maria, First, I am sorry about your dear friend, and I send you blessings. I am also so thankful for your ongoing insights and support. I think most of my ideas come from things I read, which I do a lot of or hear, and then they start showing up in my brain as poems. Sometimes, I even wake up at night with an idea that sticks with me. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Deb M Date: 10/26/2024 2:56:00 AM I smiled when l saw your name here Daniel….happy to see you got POTD with your amazing Halloween tale! The effort you have put into this poem is apparent and it has paid off….a mighty captivating tale my friend……Debx Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:26:00 AM Dear Deb, Thank you! I have considered making some of these most recent poems into short stories, but I preferred the poetic style. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Ink Empress Date: 10/26/2024 2:41:00 AM Dear Daniel, back with congrats on receiving POTD! Well deserved! Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:24:00 AM Dear Empress, Thanks. You are always the best support a poet can have. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Beryl Edmonds Date: 10/26/2024 1:16:00 AM Wow! Daniel you’ve written a spellbinding epic of a poem for Halloween, well done. Congratulations on receiving the honour of poem of the day… Beryl Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:23:00 AM Dear Beryl, Thank you for your ongoing support and I appreciate your thoughts and love your poems. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Karen Jones Date: 10/26/2024 12:34:00 AM Congratulations on your epic potd with its wonderful word wizzardry! I enjoyed the opening alliteration and the seasonal spookiness! Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:22:00 AM Dear Karen, I always appreciate your comments; they are so uplifting. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

Tom Cunningham Date: 10/26/2024 12:32:00 AM The perfect Halloween poem Daniel, brilliantly composed, big congratulations to you on today's POTD honour. Tom Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:21:00 AM Dear Tom, Thank you, my friend, for your comments, which I am grateful for. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

I Am Anaya Date: 10/25/2024 4:01:00 PM I am delving into this epic horror theatre-my type of Halloween story, Daniel. Paranormal attachments or figment of the imagination? so many questions of what we think we may know, a shot in the dark, tabu, or just the u-n-k-n-o-w-n deeper into the a-b-y-s-s. Flawless alliteration and very poetic verses... "My bleeding heart quakes beneath the weight." a request if i may steel away the word mnemonic lol. rhymes with demonic, for my up-and-coming Halloween story? I'd be forever grateful. ~Anaya Login to Reply Daniel Henry Rodgers Date: 10/27/2024 5:20:00 AM Dear Anaya, I have always loved reading your comments, and I think, in many ways, we have similar thoughts when it comes to poetry. Thank you for all your support and insightful comments. You are welcome to use mnemonic, and I look forward to reading your poems. Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel

1 2