Intrusive Thoughts

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June-11-2025

Pick A Title, Vol. 52. Poetry Contest

Sponsor - Edward Ibeh

Like unwelcome intruders, it is in the stillness of the night, intrusive thoughts come to plague us. Like thieves sneaking in the dark, they come without prior information and without waiting to earn permission. They often come as unexpected visitors. giving a sudden jolt, leaving us appalled. At times, they withdraw, before the wake of dawn. but sometimes they settle in the heart, dispersing a volley of dark and nagging thoughts, all at once or flinging them one after another. Like little flecks, leaving burns in our hearts, they consume us in flames. With scalding heat, they make our hearts melt, like the molten lava after a volcanic eruption. They feed on us until all that’s left is a handful of ashes or sedimentary rocks. These thoughts eat away our vitality, sup on our vulnerability suck our life sap and fatten on our gloom. Like tenants, these intruders who haven’t paid a single dime as rent invite our wrath! Even under threat, they would never vacate. Sometimes, they are so aggressive making us go insane. telling us to kill ourselves or dash into the speeding traffic or jump off a steep cliff, bang the head on the wall or with a sharp knife stab into the chest Weaving sticky gossamer threads, to ensnare all happy thoughts, which come our way, like ugly arachnids, they arrogantly dwell in our hearts!

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Bill Baker

Date: 6/12/2025 3:33:00 PM

Been there done that, Valsa. We can torture ourselves with useless thoughts. As they say, "As a man thinketh, so is he." I like the imagery in this poem. Write On! A poet friend in Texas, Bill