David Kavanagh Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

Blown away

I’ve been working on this poem
it’s called (Blown Away)
Don’t worry, there’s no bullets
just some points to be made 
I can write it with an arrow  
from an old weathervane
dip the tip in lead  
and be on my way  
with a heavy sway

I’ve been feeling kinda dizzy 
but can’t explain  
how I keep going south  
into a hurricane
Double-barrel primed
I’m ready to blow 
blinded by flashes
This can go anyway
who gets to say?

I’ve been crossing minefields  
on a pair of stilts 
The wind’s at my back
my trousers make sails
I’m falling to bits
spinal tissue exposed
my ribs come detached
But the outlook’s okay 
I had spare ones today

I’ve been throwing paper planes  
on the rehab lawn
They’re below Mach speed
and the gardener waves
Gliding on zephyrs,  
let’s the edges unfold
Unraveling daisy cutters 
my payload explodes
No time to pray
but I did yesterday
(yes I did yesterday)

By David Kavanagh

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Ink Empress April 18, 2026 at 5:23 AM The ending made me smile, dunno why, cus i say that alot haha. Yes i did yesterday. Ah this reminds me of how some individuals just carry on with life amidst the heaviness within and the psychological turbulence and emotional challenges they carry within, i sense also a bit of dark humor especially in the opening and the end! You have written one that is moving, witty and also with so much depth! The emotional exhaustion, can be felt throughout your ever so seamlessly flowing poem dear david! This is a fave for me! Deffo! Pleasure reading this heartfelt and soul touching poem! Sending you light always David Kavanagh April 18, 2026 at 8:56 AM Heya Ink, yes a lot of my poem is about continuing on, despite life’s weight trying to hold us back, Using dark humour can help lighten the load (well for a short time anyway) :) of course this one is written using surreal imagery, to try express how the subconscious interprets the (psychological turbulence/emotional exhaustion) you mentioned, I’m absolutely thrilled with your fave and very engaging comment, your light too is most welcome, cheers David

Paul Willason April 16, 2026 at 5:58 PM Hi David. A great poem...engaging in its imagery and sense of foreboding. It's as if you have distilled prevailing anxieties and used to animate a suite of very powerful images, ie crossing minefield on stilts etc. I like the poem because it cleverly translates that sense of unease, menace, powerlessness into a catalogue of dreamlike symbols. The reader enters this one prepared to let go of traditional narrative and jump into the shadowlands of the subconscious with all of its horrors. A stunning journey. David Kavanagh April 17, 2026 at 6:47 AM High praise Paul, I’m so delighted you dug deeply into this one, as I did feel it needed to be layered up in order to expose the subconscious, where so much of r perceived horror resides, definitely not a journey we necessarily want to go on, but sometimes we have no choice when thoughts starts to spiral out of control, the price we pay for being human certainly has debilitating consequences, thanks so much for stopping by, with great supporting words, cheers David

Sara Kendrick April 15, 2026 at 5:29 AM Whoa!! Creative one. Made me think about disabled soldiers who end up in such bad conditions. Thank you for sharing this one with us. Sara K David Kavanagh April 15, 2026 at 6:00 AM Heya Sara, yes there is also a certain element of PTSD going on here, those soldiers see a lot of terrible disturbing stuff on the battlefield, some are traumatised for life, thanks so much for stopping by on your special POTD day, cheers David

Tom Cunningham April 14, 2026 at 1:13 PM No two days alike, we encounter many storms but get respite when the sun shines and all is well with the world, if only for a short time. Love the picture that accompanies it. Tom David Kavanagh April 14, 2026 at 2:22 PM Hello Tom, I agree with your assessment of no two days are the same, hopefully there is always a sliver of light, it’s what keeps us going, that metaphoric guy struggling through the minefield on stilts is not giving up anytime soon, that’s not to say he will make it all the way, but at least he’s trying, cheers David

Paula Goldsmith April 14, 2026 at 11:58 AM Your "Blown away" is a very creative write/story. I really enjoyed reading. Watch out for the minefields in life. Great Picture/Great Ending... "Good Luck" if for a contest. Have a great day writing away.............. David Kavanagh April 14, 2026 at 12:11 PM Heya Paula, so glad you found this one creative, with all the destructive forces going on, that’s what poetry is all about in my mind anyway, the picture was just an AI afterthought, the poem itself is totally human, no contest in mind, just a regular day in the minefield of life, cheers David

Daniel Henry Rodgers April 14, 2026 at 9:34 AM Hello David, reads like someone trying to stay upright in a world that won’t stop tilting. Like when I used to drink before I was sober. But humor and the hurt keep trading places, and somehow you make the chaos feel almost choreographed. This is a great way to see the strange honesty of how you let the body fall apart while the spirit keeps cracking jokes. I am the jokester in the family, but sometimes.... Blessings, Daniel David Kavanagh April 14, 2026 at 10:15 AM I’m delighted you came out (in one piece) the other side of that drink filled minefield, (many don’t) I can still enjoy a drink mostly at the weekends or when on holiday, this one is more surreal and double barrelled in nature, yes there are some explosive terms, such is the choreographed world we live in, sometimes a bit of dark humour helps bring a little light, thanks so much for looking deeper into this one, cheers David

Lin Lane April 14, 2026 at 7:25 AM David, I won’t pretend to say I’ve unraveled everything you intended to divulge in these lines. I do sense a feeling of being lost as if in a storm of thoughts or maybe things suffered. I loved the verse about throwing paper planes…”gliding on zephyrs lets the edges unfold”. No sanitarium for you, dear friend unless you are the smiling gardener. David Kavanagh April 14, 2026 at 10:33 AM : ) Lin Lane April 14, 2026 at 10:13 AM We all deal with issues differently. Whatever works best is what we must need do. With a sense of humor or nonchalance here. David Kavanagh April 14, 2026 at 9:59 AM Who knows Lin, maybe you like to keep a little light of reality going, rather than being a wishful thinker, and that’s a good trait to have, we all deal with ups and downs differently, maybe I try to navigate them here with a wry surreal sense of humour; whatever works for the individual :) Lin Lane April 14, 2026 at 9:24 AM I think I'll stick to my thought of you including the gardener as a bit of the light you mentioned... a touch of reality breaking through the darkness to give hope. Maybe he even refolds the edges of those planes to offer a spark of light to the plane maker. Or maybe, I'm just being too much of a wishful thinker. David Kavanagh April 14, 2026 at 8:40 AM Heya Lin, I did lean heavily into the abstract for this one, had a bit of a Dali moment perhaps; you are pretty much on the money as indeed thoughts are spiralling into stormy waters, there are dark moments with bits of light trying to break through, so depending on one’s state of mind the poem will probably read different, I think the ending was pretty much inevitable, maybe a respite in rehab was needed until the storm blew itself out, thanks so much for commenting and pointing out your favourite lines, the gardener could be smiling or waving at everyone to duck :) cheers David

Laurentine G April 13, 2026 at 1:59 PM You can feel the forces at play in this one David - like direction is a choice but one to be battled for. Each deadly threat diminished once studied but still causing harm. The words contain so much tension within their lightness - a hard act to pull off. As always there's a beauty in the way you express - I've always prayed yesterday, I wonder if it counts... David Kavanagh April 13, 2026 at 2:24 PM Heya LG, lightness and tension is a very fine balance to try negotiate, I had a particular song in mind when writing this one, and just used the tempo to try guide me through, I think we all prayed yesterday, does it count, who gets to say? Not me anyway :) thanks so much for reading this troubled surreal piece, with real world double barrelling going on, cheers David