Deaden Death

Summary

The poem "Deaden Death" reflects on the futile cycle of trying to overcome life's struggles, such as death and failure, by succumbing to them further.

Abstract

"Deaden Death" is a contemplative poem that delves into the paradoxical human tendency to confront existential challenges like mortality and personal defeat by indulging in them. The author describes a self-destructive pattern where one attempts to numb the pain of failure with more failure, to cure blindness with greater unseeingness, and to escape the awareness of one's own limitations by plunging deeper into unconsciousness. This approach, while acknowledged as flawed and ineffective, is depicted as a seductive "Madman's solution," a temporary escape that ultimately leads to a deeper entrapment. The poem suggests that this cycle is akin to insanity, characterized by repetitive actions that expect different results. However, there is a moment of clarity when the narrator awakens to the inefficacy of this method, realizing the need for a breath of fresh air to break free from the suffocating pattern of self-inflicted numbness.

Opinions

The poem conveys a critical view of the strategy of using avoidance as a coping mechanism for life's challenges.
It suggests that the narrator's approach to dealing with problems by intensifying them is both irrational and self-perpetuating.
The author implies that true awareness and acceptance of one's struggles are necessary to break the cycle of self-destruction.
The poem reflects on the human condition, highlighting the struggle between the desire for self-preservation and the allure of self-destruction.
It offers a metaphorical critique of how society often deals with adversity, mirroring the personal struggle on a larger scale.

a Poem

At times I try to deaden death with death I try to numb failure with failure I try to cure my blindness with blindness I try to drown my unawareness in unawareness I try to render myself unconscious of my unconsciousness At times I use the earth as the drug to cure my earth addiction On paper this is not a very workable philosophy and even less so off paper Still, at times it seems like the only solution the only path available the only option practical or otherwise And so I wallow further and further to mask my feeble wallowing It is a vicious self-sustaining self-perpetuating Madman’s solution this flirting with death again and again Forgetting again and again its utter unworkability Like the definition of insanity And then I awake to death again to how I deadened death with death to how I like the poor ostrich buried not only my head but my soul in the warm and sandy earth And gasp a new deep fresh lungful of air © Wolfstuff

Deaden Death

a Poem

Wolfstuff

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