Poet Rummager

War Zone

going-down
Illustration by Ted Giffin

Should I walk away
as your fire burns me?
Not even touching you,
I smolder.
This *Aegis shield I wear
is my frigid icy
stare.
Keep your distance.
Beware.
This battle
of right and wrong
clashes inside –
a war zone
with no chance
for a cease fire.
So, I’ll walk away.
I’ll turn my face.
Frosty, gelid bitch
is what you’ll say.
You’ll never know
beneath the cold,
I’m a raging inferno.

*Aegis shield, according to Greek mythology, belonged to goddess Athena and was made from the skin of a slain Gorgon.

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79 comments

  2. How cool is that? Very cool indeed. like the stare AND one could get turned to stone as myth has it…so then I digress into Dylan ,’everybody must get stoned’, that I take as public stonings buried neck high in sand. Awesome, to give full life to that drawing with your words. Thank You!!!

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  8. “with no chance / of a cease fire” — so true so often, it’s just getting the other person to stop denying it. hope springs eternal as they say. so then they call out “frost, gelid bitch” because hope doesn’t change reality.

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  16. Long ago, when all the pretty girls ignored all the nerds like me, they may have been burning with well-hidden desire ??  Hmmmm.  This is one of those rare situations where even a mad scientist will concede that the burden of knowing may *not* be lighter than the burden of not knowing.

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  22. Beautiful and empowering. I love the use of extreme opposites – ice and infernos. I also really connect with idea that people make assumptions about your character more often than not, but what’s important is knowing who you are underneath it all.

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  25. Whew! Two burning people will incinerate a relationship, leaving only scorched earth behind…better break out the fire extinguishers. Ah, but what a way to go. 😁
    Great poem, Rose, and a fetching illustration to go with it.

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  36. Wow. I liked this one PR. Because it made me sad. Aren’t we all trying to figure out the meaning of life? I am thinking, in large part, it has something to do with each of us making connections, and truly getting to know each other in a deep and truthful way and not just on the surface.

    You’ll never know
    beneath the cold,
    I’m a raging inferno

    Better to burn and know than the cold comfort of ignorance.

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