Jeff Kyser Poet Free verse

No Way Out

Slogging swampy bogs, suction at the feet
Like pushing through molasses with a spoon
No evidence of forward progress made

Mired in a morass of foul decay
Vile filth closing in on what once was
Trapped in horrid ever-present now

Who can say what tomorrow brings?
What does tomorrow even mean?
The hands of time are bound up tight

Fetid vapors rushing up
Senses overwhelmed, recoil
Oppressive, suffocating

Forward has no meaning
No option for retreat
The world is closing in

Rudderless and lost
Disoriented
Every way is down

Such heaviness
Stoops the shoulders
Buckles the knees

Despairing
Silent screams
Go unheard

Hopeless
Endless
Nightmare

No
Way
Out

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For the 2022 Poetry Marathon Mile 11 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Mark Toney
Written 07/13/2022

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Andrew John July 26, 2022 at 3:55 AM One can feel this powerful piece, Jeff. I love the way it tapers, visually, towards the end, till we have two stanzas each of three lines = three words - words with that feeling of finality. Jeff Kyser July 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM Thanks, Andrew! I've seen folks on this site use the format of a poem to add impact; I hoped it would add effect here.

Gershon Wolf July 13, 2022 at 8:23 PM No way out ~ Jean Paul Sartre... couldn't resist! :) No Exit

Caren Krutsinger July 13, 2022 at 4:34 PM "Forward has no meaning No option for retreat The world is closing in" - I am truly hoping this is not true, but feeling it a bit myself, Jeff.

Ann Foster July 13, 2022 at 2:18 PM This was powerful. The imagery was extremely relateable. Well written. Ann

L Milton Hankins July 13, 2022 at 5:28 AM Wow! I felt every single line of your poem, Jeff...the desperation, the hopelessness, the fear one must feel in a situation where death is imminent and there is no one to help. Quicksand. Jeff Kyser July 13, 2022 at 5:39 AM My daughter suffers from depression from time to time. Thankfully, things have been under control for a number of years now. I only have the slightest hint of what it is for her