Drowning in Godliness

A Free Verse Poem

malaise washes over me as my body sinks into this haunting marshland of righteous fervor the stench of decay assaults my senses — new death mingles with the long forgotten its sliminess swirls around my toes, up my thighs settles into the flatland and mounds of this body until I nearly drown under the weight of its dogma

©2020 Lori Carlson. All Rights Reserved.

This is in response to Eli Snow’s writing prompt — I challenge you to choose a word you think is underutilized and showcase it in a piece of writing.

I’ve chosen the word Malaise. According to Merriam-Webster, Malaise is 1) defined as an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness, or 2) a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being.

I’ve always loved this word, but rarely see it used. For my poem, I’ve used the second definition.

More of my endeavors:

Lori Carlson writes poetry, fiction, articles and personal essays. Most of her topics are centered around Relationships, Spirituality, Life Lessons, Mental Health, and the LGBTQ+ community. She currently writes for Loose Words,💜POM💜 , Illumination, The Friday Fix, House of Haiku, Know Thyself, Heal Thyself, The Purple Pen, Blue Insights, a Few Words, and Tempest in Under 1000