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The Pale Silhouette of Death

I dwell in desolation, damned in a fathomless abyss.
What sin have I committed to live a life such as this?
Without a window I cannot gaze upon stars above.
What hope is there for me to ever find the one I love?
Shall I never again feel the tenderness of his kiss?

Fear is an onerous anchor, dragging me further down.
I am filled with anguish knowing that I shall drown.
I scream aloud, but no wanderers respond to my voice.
For just a tiny glint of sunlight, I would gladly rejoice!
Am I to die here shrouded in this filthy tattered gown?

If loneliness is an ailment, I languish on my deathbed,
clamoring with hope to be heard by someone overhead.
Again, I shout, "What have I done to merit such an end?"
Silence, my answer from these depths I shall not ascend.
My life now tethered to the clemency of a fraying thread.

The pale silhouette of death hovers near me in the deep.
Its frigid fingers chill the marrow in my bones as I weep,
daring the courage to ask; Does my torturer live within?
Is it destiny or fate who strokes the strings of her violin
as a requiem for me in the shadows of this prison keep?

Doubt pervades my brooding senses in this muted space.
I know not why I've been confined in calamitous disgrace.
What price am I to pay, and how many nightmares more
before I am released and depart through freedom's door?
Am I never again to feel the passion of my lover's embrace?

An animal I shall become, a lone wolf howling in the night,
baying at a moon I cannot see, nor the glimmers of starlight.
If I shall not glean sunrise and feel its warmth tomorrow,
then a kneeler I shall be, begging an angel if I may borrow
her wings to liberate me from this dismal dungeon's plight.


October 28, 2022 ~ 2022 Marathon Mile 18 Contest
Sponsored by Mark Toney

December 6, 2021
"A Shout Into The Void" Contest
Sponsored by Edward Ibeh

Copyright © Lin Lane | Year Posted 2021

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Joanna Daniel Date: 1/6/2022 11:47:00 PM Wow! Really intense, Lin, congratulations on your top win:) I sincerely hope this is fictional... Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 10/28/2022 9:07:00 AM I'm so pleased with your response, Jo. Thank you very much.

Edward Ibeh Date: 1/1/2022 9:49:00 AM Heartiest congratulations on your top win in my contest, Lin:-) Your poem is outstanding! Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 1/1/2022 12:47:00 PM Thanks ever so much for the challenging themes of your contests, Edward. I appreciate my poem having been chosen for your winner's list.

Christuraj Alex Date: 12/31/2021 9:39:00 PM "Fear is an onerous anchor", "Doubt pervades my brooding senses" - All these verses give depth to your poem on the theme: A Shout Into The Void. Great work. Congratulations! Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 1/1/2022 7:30:00 AM I must admit my visions were deeper than I had originally intended, but I could not stop them from descending. Thank you for such grand comments, Chris.

Caren Krutsinger Date: 12/8/2021 8:45:00 AM This reminds me of the poems of the Old Masters like Coleridge and Poe "The pale silhouette of death hovers near me in the deep. Its icy fingers chill the marrow in my bones, and I weep, daring the courage to ask; Does my torturer live within? Is it destiny or fate who strokes the strings of her violin? A funeral hymn for me in the shadows of this prison keep." Wow! Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 12/8/2021 2:33:00 PM I'm not sure where my thoughts came from in this one, but I know they were from somewhere I've never been, or ever hope to be. I appreciate you telling me what you liked. Thanks so much, Caren.

David Kavanagh Date: 12/7/2021 9:59:00 AM I am partial to poems of desolation Lin, and you certainly did not disappoint this reader by shouting in the void, sometimes indeed we do hold the keys to our own prison cells without ever realising it, a dark work but certainly not dreary, great writing, cheers David Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 12/7/2021 10:16:00 AM Since returning to PS, I've looked back on many of my writes, and was amazed at how many were written in the throes of some sort of sadness or another. Maybe I should lighten up a bit. Thanks for reading my works, David.

Regina Mcintosh Date: 12/6/2021 2:46:00 PM Enjoyed... great writing. God bless you. Love, Gina Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 12/6/2021 3:01:00 PM Thanks so much, Gina.

Jeannie Cronin Date: 12/6/2021 8:05:00 AM Great writing, best of luck in the contest Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 12/6/2021 8:10:00 AM Thank you so much, Jeannie.

John Hamilton Date: 12/6/2021 7:54:00 AM Another wonderful write Lin, although reaching the depths of anguish and despair, the reader feels deeply the emotions, and the soulful cry for love. Congrats on another winner! Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 12/6/2021 8:10:00 AM It went pretty deep, John. At one point in life, I felt I was falling into such a hole, thus the question of, was I my own torturer? Escape was a bittersweet moment. Thank you for always being so supportive of my poetry.

Alexis Y. Date: 12/6/2021 7:29:00 AM WoW! Lin, I sure did miss your amazing poetry. I'm so glad you're posting again. This is a top-notch entry for the contest theme. Each line is so well written, I could feel the turmoil within( and then some ) of not being with the one you love. Best wishes in the contest. Have a great day:-) Alexis Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 12/6/2021 8:07:00 AM Thanks, Alexis. I thought I made have overdone the helpless feeling a bit, but this one went where it wanted to go. I'm glad I'm posting again, too, my sweet friend.

Tom Cunningham Date: 12/6/2021 7:05:00 AM Excellent write Lin, you create a very dark and depressing scene in the readers mind, very Poe like. Best of luck. Hope your week goes well. Tom Login to Reply Lin Lane Date: 12/6/2021 8:06:00 AM If you found the circumstances frightening and Poe like, then I've succeeded in making the reader see and feel what I was suggesting. I felt as though any moment I'd hear a tell tale heart beating. lol Thanks so much, Tom.