I am a Myth

[a_little_wisp]

I am a Myth


Once upon a time, I lived.
Not just survived,
(As 'just surviving' is
Living off fried squirrels
Living in trees
And sh!tting under bushes),
Not only existed-
I lived.
I can tell you, first, that they elaborate
- “The multiple facets of your essence sparkle and glow with every turn.“ -
The battles were glossed over.
I cried, I bled, I held my beaten friends in my arms,
They held me-
Our armor clanking against
One another's awkwardly,
As we tried to stitch each other's
Wounds closed -
Truth be told,
I had no idea what side I was fighting on,
If there were sides,
If there are sides -
Or maybe we're all just fools
Slipping and sliding
Clumsily
Over one great, wet sphere-
(Those smooth roll-y things that people
Have in their front yard?)

The rare moments of sunshine,
The golden days –
There were never Golden Years,
No, they were lower-cased and
Played within a twenty-four hour,
Or less,
Period of time -
Were stolen or borrowed and never returned-
And in that, I must say,
I was a bit of a klepto.
But I existed,
And they were my battles,
And they were my victories
… And they were my losses –
And the embarrassing moments
Where I was unseated from my high horse
And had tomatoes smashed in my face -
I claim those too.


As I fade away,
And I will, because I must
For a time-
Because I must regroup,
Because I've lost my horse (I don't even have a kingdom
To trade it for
Go figure),
My sword,
My banner,
My wits,
And look like an idiot
Without them -
Remember me.
I leave no physical evidence behind-
I leave no sword,
I leave no sceptre,
No lock of hair,
No one Converse sneaker
Or comic book,
Or verse posted on the forum -
I leave nothing of any worth.
You may think me weak
For needing this,
For asking this of you,
For needing you--
Yes, I can be alone
Without feeling lonely,
But I am not worth much-
My worth cannot be determined-
Without people.

You thought I would be the best of them,
Lady-
Don’t give up on me yet,
Because I haven't.
You’re the only one who ever
Held my hands-
My sage, you were,
Your gnarled fingers soft
Against my long, ink-smattered
ones-
And looked me dead in eye-
Your gaze causing my
Bashful soul (poor thing,
It suffers from stage fright) to briefly panic
Before realizing that there
Was nothing to be afraid of -
And believed.

She cried out, "Why me?
I didn't ask for this,
I didn't ask for you to believe in me.
When I fall, I will fall that much harder,
And it will hurt that much more."

"Then keep your feet on the ground,
And your head just below the clouds -
Close enough to touch the stars,
And yet keep your wits about you."

"You ask a bird,
To become a giant,
And don't even offer the proper
Magic beans to make it happen."

I slip away now, into the mists -
Quite undignified,
As my boat has several leaks,
And creaks with every
Swell of a wave -
Wounded and battle-weary,
Conceding to the fact
That this battle-
Not the war,
The war ceases
For no man-
Has been lost.
I beg of you, though,
Remember me
The me of the golden days–
Immortalized by our laughter
And our pride.

At the heart of all,
In the cave,
On the green,
By the sea -
Waiting for the unicorns,
Most likely -
I existed,
The smallest of evidence remaining,
Kept to life by the hope
In your heart
That though we are but
Human,
Mortal,
And prone to burping,
And lying,
And dying,
Fighting our battles out,
Day-by-day-
At the end of it all,
We are remembered,

That at the center
Of a myth
There is truth,
And there I lie,
And from it,
Will rise again

If only you
Believe in me.
--And so every myth
Begs to be believed in.

"The point, gentlemen,
Is that they lived."
-Ever After.

[~Sophia~]

Wow Wisp. What a great poem. There were so many spectacular lines but after the 2nd read I think I love this part best. Confession of a brave heart!!!

And in that, I must say,
I was a bit of a klepto.
But I existed,
And they were my battles,
And they were my victories
… And they were my losses –
And the embarrassing moments
Where I was unseated from my high horse
And had tomatoes smashed in my face -
I claim those too.

[a_little_wisp]

^^ I liked that bit too, it makes me chuckle. One day, I'll write something that is entirely serious.

... Maybe.

Thank you sooo much! A comment from you, Word Barista, is GOLD, and makes me feel rich.

[~Sophia~]

One day, I'll write something that is entirely serious

Hmmm, I hope not. I personally think that when it's done well (like the stanza in your poem) wit, irony, humor and/or sarcasm all serve to make the work stronger. That particular verse added insight into the narrators state of mind and made her a very likable character. Made me connect . You have a natural penchant toward levity. I think you can absolutely use it to your advantage in all your writings.

[blp]

Really good. It makes me chuckle too.

[PrinceMyshkin]

If I can figure out how to do this, I'm going to post this to "Favourite Poems by Lit-Netters." It's glorious, glorious, glorious! As to your comment that one day you might write something serious (or perhaps you said "completely serious), don't be a dork! Since when is humour the opposite of serious? Part of what is palpably truthful about this is the way you alternate deadly serious lines with comic asides as if you need to apologize for taking yourself so seriously - and that in itself is a significant aspect of the human condition, to want to be noticed and taken seriously and at the same time to be asking But who am I to deserve anyone's attention?

My one quibble is the thought that it may go on too long, that it could possibly, more effectively end

I am a Myth


Once upon a time, I lived.
Not just survived,
(As 'just surviving' is
Living off fried squirrels
Living in trees
And sh!tting under bushes),
Not only existed-
I lived.
I can tell you, first, that they elaborate
- “The multiple facets of your essence sparkle and glow with every turn.“ -
The battles were glossed over.
I cried, I bled, I held my beaten friends in my arms,
They held me-
Our armor clanking against
One another's awkwardly,
As we tried to stitch each other's
Wounds closed -
Truth be told,
I had no idea what side I was fighting on,
If there were sides,
If there are sides -
Or maybe we're all just fools
Slipping and sliding
Clumsily
Over one great, wet sphere-
(Those smooth roll-y things that people
Have in their front yard?)

The rare moments of sunshine,
The golden days –
There were never Golden Years,
No, they were lower-cased and
Played within a twenty-four hour,
Or less,
Period of time -
Were stolen or borrowed and never returned-
And in that, I must say,
I was a bit of a klepto.
But I existed,
And they were my battles,
And they were my victories
… And they were my losses –
And the embarrassing moments
Where I was unseated from my high horse
And had tomatoes smashed in my face -
I claim those too.


As I fade away,
And I will, because I must
For a time-
Because I must regroup,
Because I've lost my horse (I don't even have a kingdom
To trade it for
Go figure),
My sword,
My banner,
My wits,
And look like an idiot
Without them -
Remember me.
I leave no physical evidence behind-
I leave no sword,
I leave no sceptre,
No lock of hair,
No one Converse sneaker
Or comic book,
Or verse posted on the forum -
I leave nothing of any worth.
You may think me weak
For needing this,
For asking this of you,
For needing you--
Yes, I can be alone
Without feeling lonely,
But I am not worth much-
My worth cannot be determined-
Without people.

here, or

You thought I would be the best of them,
Lady-
Don’t give up on me yet,
Because I haven't.
You’re the only one who ever
Held my hands-
My sage, you were,
Your gnarled fingers soft
Against my long, ink-smattered
ones-
And looked me dead in eye-
Your gaze causing my
Bashful soul (poor thing,
It suffers from stage fright) to briefly panic
Before realizing that there
Was nothing to be afraid of -
And believed.

She cried out, "Why me?
I didn't ask for this,
I didn't ask for you to believe in me.
When I fall, I will fall that much harder,
And it will hurt that much more."

"Then keep your feet on the ground,
And your head just below the clouds -
Close enough to touch the stars,
And yet keep your wits about you."

"You ask a bird,
To become a giant,
And don't even offer the proper
Magic beans to make it happen."

I slip away now, into the mists -
Quite undignified,
As my boat has several leaks,
And creaks with every
Swell of a wave -
Wounded and battle-weary,
Conceding to the fact
That this battle-
Not the war,
The war ceases
For no man-
Has been lost.
I beg of you, though,
Remember me
The me of the golden days–
Immortalized by our laughter
And our pride.

or no further than the above

At the heart of all,
In the cave,
On the green,
By the sea -
Waiting for the unicorns,
Most likely -
I existed,
The smallest of evidence remaining,
Kept to life by the hope
In your heart
That though we are but
Human,
Mortal,
And prone to burping,
And lying,
And dying,
Fighting our battles out,
Day-by-day-
At the end of it all,
We are remembered,

That at the center
Of a myth
There is truth,
And there I lie,
And from it,
Will rise again

If only you
Believe in me.
--And so every myth
Begs to be believed in.

"The point, gentlemen,
Is that they lived."
-Ever After.

[Pendragon]

A bit long, for my tastes, but sweet use of metaphor!

[a_little_wisp]

Sophia, Blp, Prince, and Pendragon -

Thank you all so much for your comments!!!

Prince - Thank you, again, for making me get all teary-eyed and wibbly. You have made my week. I want to say 'thank you' but I feel like anything that simple would belittle my delight.

It was 'entirely serious' but I'm still kind of a dork for it.
... You stagger me with your insight, you know.

Yes, the length *is* an issue for me - actually it's an issue with a lot of mine, you're entirely correct. If I post it anywhere else or attempt to present it in a class someday, I will probably cut it. However, for family and friends who I show it to I think I'll keep it how it is. Half of the time, the poetry that I write, I write in one sitting, one outpouring of feelings I've bottled up throughout my classes, so when I pour it out... it never stops, it slows to a
trickling
finish.

Like that. xD

Pendragon -
Our study in Medieval Lit has shifted to King Arthur. I started getting quietly upset when every one started ripping apart a myth I've grown up on through The Dark is Rising Sequence and others. I know that he may not even have existed, that every thing to do with his legend is probably blown out of proportion, but ... I still think people should respect myths. XD Oh my god, I'm am a dork.

[easyeverett]

Truth be told,
I had no idea what side I was fighting on,
If there were sides,
If there are sides -

What wisdom thou hath spoken with these words a little wisp. Great imagination and skill displayed with unique and subtley accurate fantasy. Great write. easy

[Silas Thorne]

Wow. Blows me wildly, into your wonderful asides within statements, closer to a belief in magic and myths within life. Precious.

[a_little_wisp]

Wow. Blows me wildly, into your wonderful asides within statements, closer to a belief in magic and myths within life. Precious.

..... Silas!! :Cyber hug!: You said it. You said it, I won't tell you what you said, but you said it, and I can't stop grinning. Thank you, thank you for your comment.