poems about brokenness

Dissimilarity

The harrowing
Uncertainty begins,
More of a screaming,
Piercing pain that won’t
Go away no matter how
Many aspirins one takes.

Trying to ignore it,
Hoping it will go away,
Pretending it’s not going to happen
When it inevitably will,
A return to different times,
Shocking dissimilarity.

Unreachable minds,
Roiling with contempt and
Inordinate callousness.
They will never
Dig deep enough
To tell us why.

Get the Poetry Collection
Unconventional Being - Minimalist Poetry Book by Guy Farmer

Readers around the world have found pieces of themselves in these poems. Discover the collection.

Get Your Copy on Amazon

Undesirable

I know when I talk with you that
You’re thinking of the next thing you
Want to say or how my words may be
Used to gain some advantage or
Make you look good in some way,
Perhaps subtly put me in my place,
All else is bothersome, undesirable.
A wilted, one-sided relationship where
One person’s self is stolen by
An unquenchable, uncaring void.

Any Different

Not sure what to do,
Knowing that it could
Be a catalyst for all
Manner of suffering but
Also morbidly curious.
As usual, an inner struggle
Ensues between giving the
Benefit of the doubt,
Believing in redemption, or
Realizing that some things are
Truly better left unexamined.
Even the best intentions often
Do not turn out well
Because they never have before
And nothing has transpired
To make this time any different.

Bequeaths

She worries about
Absolutely everything;
Wreathed in a
Cloud of trepidation,
Myriad menaces,
Nothing safe,
Constant vigilance against
Threats real and fabricated,
She bequeaths all this
Wonderfulness to her children.

Competitor

I remember the moment he
Referred to me as a competitor,
Collaboration pettily smashed
Into a million jagged shards.
Inflated ego,
Simmering insecurity,
Infirm sense of self.
Rapacious hunger for
Power, prestige, position,
Civility – camaraderie – a casualty.
Close the gates, boil the oil,
Needless battle begun.

Imbalance

Sitting around
Talking about nothing
In particular,
They notice that
They’re physically
Stronger than them;
That they can impose
Their will through
Force rather than
Negotiation or
Compromise.
They get to work
Creating the edifices
Of submission and
Control; shameless
Institutions designed
To maintain the
Imbalance of power.

Sublimation

Her blank, lifeless eyes
Betray a dearth of feeling,
Loss of innocence,
Humanity torn from heart.

She follows whatever they say
With a confidence that only
Comes from the total
Sublimation of self.

Inside her, a muffled voice
Reminds that there
Always is another path,
Courageous, resplendent.

So Perfect

Ugly self-righteousness,
The arrogance of alleging
He knows more than anyone
Else and is so perfect that
He has the right to impose
His beliefs and values on
Everyone else because,
After all, nobody’s opinion
Matters more than his own.
He smiles smugly,
A shining example of a
Mind deluded by its own
Inner instability.

Cede

To capitulate would mean
Nothing short of annihilation,
Calling into question his
Virility and fortitude,
His ability to be in control
Of everything, prancing
Bravado, a huffing, puffing
Maelstrom of toxic ego and
Rampant insecurity
Unable to cede anything
For any reason.