avatarJ.D. Harms

Summary

The poem "Lifted Bars" reflects on an enduring and haunting chorus of misery that persists despite changing backdrops.

Abstract

"Lifted Bars" is a poem that captures the essence of a prolonged and unrelenting melancholy, depicted as a chorus that lingers far beyond its welcome. It speaks to an unchanging state of sorrow against the backdrop of an ever-shifting world. The poem suggests a deep-seated misery that resists abandonment, likened to an earworm that persists in a corrupted perspective. The imagery of the poem implies a kind of emotional paralysis, where the speaker is unable to shake off the oppressive feelings, even as other forms of decay pass by.

Opinions

  • The poem conveys a sense of emotional fatigue, with the chorus symbolizing a relentless cycle of sorrow.
  • The author seems to suggest that certain pains become so deeply ingrained that they feel inescapable, almost becoming a part of one's identity.
  • The metaphor of the chorus as an earworm indicates how certain negative experiences can dominate one's thoughts against one's will.
  • The still figures against a shifting background may imply a disconnect between the internal emotional state and the external world, highlighting the isolating nature of this persistent sorrow.

Lifted Bars

A Poem

Photo by Paul Blenkhorn @SensoryArtHouse on Unsplash

A chorus that has gone on too long the background shifting against still figures Not a snapshot a synopsis a freezing in the gut of the misery that wouldn’t escape Twisted on the image the song still redundant still an earworm for a corrupted view when you look at it Other necroses fly by but the freezing goes on & on

J.D. Harms 2020

Poetry
Image
Emotions
Relationships
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