Hallways of the mind

I search the dark hallways of my brain 
looking for anything to bring purpose to life
I search for a window, a door, anything leading me to the other side of things where I can see clearly 
thick smoke fogs the hallways as I walk down memory lane 
the layers of protection that I placed are perhaps what keeps me where I am today 
Stagnant
lost in a thought
Maybe if I just turned the lights on 
I’d see what I have
right in front of me 
- V.B
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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Young Avatar
September 17, 2026 at 10:42 AM
Valerie, your poem beautifully captures how we get trapped looking for an external escape, when clarity really comes from just "turning on the lights" within ourselves. Your description of how our own past "layers of protection" can end up keeping us stagnant is incredibly powerful. As a fellow poet, I completely identify with your style and your way of expressing these heavy, internal thoughts. This is exactly how I love to write, too. Thank you for turning the messy feeling of being lost in your own mind into such a vivid, relatable piece. Beautifully written!
Smith  Avatar
September 15, 2026 at 3:46 AM
A deeply introspective free-verse piece, where the extended hallway metaphor gives depression a tangible, claustrophobic shape. The spare closing lines—“Maybe if I just turned the lights on”—offer a quiet, moving glimmer of self-recognition amid the fog and stagnation.
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