Laura Leiser Poet Free verse

The Phoenix Has Died

The phoenix has died
I can see that now
I can see it in your eyes.
Those bright blue, youthful eyes
once so hopeful, now restless...unfocused.

Once you were a phoenix
on the precipice of flight
with the promise of love and life
oh, how I yearn to see 
that life in you again!

She pulled you back, yanked you
strangled you with her apron strings
hung you, squeezed the life out of you
clingy, whining
a cesspool of anxieties
belched out and incessant.

Too caring, too conscientious to resist
you conceded, and the promptings
the promptings of obligation 
overwhelmed.

So you froze fast in a nightmare
a nightmare of anxieties
trapped
sucked into a black hole
believed the lies
kept the security blanket
and sank in the quicksands 
of stagnation.

The phoenix's wings were clipped
no longer a phoenix... no
but a goldfish in a glass bowl.

Now you languish in anonimity
never to make your mark
mugged by a mother's insecurities.

The phoenix has died.






Written on 2/11/2017

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Susan Ashley March 22, 2018 at 5:50 PM Wow! Such a deep and powerful poem Laura. The emotional sadness is expressed so elegantly and your last four lines pack quite a literary punch for a sorrowful yet stunning ending. A sadly beautiful and soulful poem. Congratulations on your superb win! Warmest wishes. ~Susan

Roy Pett March 22, 2018 at 12:05 PM Congratulations on your well deserved win Laura with your beautifully written yet sad poem. :)

Beautiful Scars March 22, 2018 at 6:06 AM such depth Laura! I loved this so much, it really made me think deeply about things .thank you and congratulations! :)-luloo Laura Leiser March 22, 2018 at 11:26 AM Thank you, Laura Loo, for my placement in your contest! Because this is true, and these are authentic emotions of a real situation, this poem really spilled out of my soul when I wrote it...glad it shows.

Richard Evans February 13, 2018 at 11:30 PM Heavy but gutsy. The line "you froze fast in a nightmare" is intriguing.

Silent One February 12, 2018 at 6:10 AM I think this happens in so many people, but it has and needs to be rekindled.. i hope you can find a way to help him reignite his flame and rise from the ashes.. Great poem Laura.. Laura Leiser February 15, 2018 at 5:47 PM Thanks so much, Sllent! I'm glad you liked this one :)

Anne-Lise Andresen February 12, 2018 at 3:27 AM - A terrible sad story your poem tells, Laura - There are many who experience this ... never get the chance to use his own wings - hugs // Anne-Lise :)

Maureen McGreavy Pigeon Tart February 11, 2018 at 8:55 PM This poem is on fire! Fantastic. Maureen McGreavy Pigeon Tart February 11, 2018 at 10:16 PM You have expressed with gripping eloquence Laura. It's hard to stand by and watch damage in progress. hugs Laura Leiser February 11, 2018 at 10:00 PM Thank you, Maureen. I grieve, just grieve, for the life of this young man. He is a neighbor of mine that still lives at home at 33 yr. of age...I have known him since 24yr. old...he helped take care of our dogs when we were gone. I've seen the descent...it kills me :(

Vijay Pandit February 11, 2018 at 8:52 PM A very passionate depiction of hope and ambition held back and deprived. Quite touching discourse of how a parent can affect a life for ever. Well written, Laura. Laura Leiser February 11, 2018 at 10:02 PM Thank you, Vijay. I wish this were fiction, but no. This young man needs to fly away from home...and soon. It's been years...I grieve for his future if he doesn't go.