Poem: "Whatever We Feed"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem came out of the September 18, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from kelkyag.  It has been sponsored by janetmiles.  This poem belongs to the Monster House series; you can explore that further via the Serial Poetry page.  In order for this one to make sense, you should read " Thunder Without Rain" first.

Warning: This is one of the

Comments

[janetmiles]

Interesting. I think next time Monster House comes around, I'm going to prompt for background on that boy -- or future. You're right, this one was disturbing, but I keep coming back to it.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Interesting. I think next time Monster House comes around, I'm going to prompt for background on that boy -- or future.<<

It's worth a try, though I don't actually know much about him. He's among the more reclusive characters.

>> You're right, this one was disturbing, but I keep coming back to it. <<

Thank you!

I find it interesting that this series is usually light with a wry twist, sometimes pure fluff, and then occasionlly goes to incredibly dark places.

[laylalawlor]

Oh, I like this one a lot! Very creepy-cool (and a little bit thought-provoking too). I'm with janetmiles - I want to see more of that boy!

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Oh, I like this one a lot! Very creepy-cool <<

I'm happy to hear that.

>> (and a little bit thought-provoking too).<<

Me too. I wasn't expecting him to have any kind of emotional attachment like that.

>> I'm with janetmiles - I want to see more of that boy! <<

Well, we can try. He's not the most forthcoming of characters. But if he pops up again, I'll do my best.

[kelkyag]

Yup, that's creepy alright.

Why didn't the lurking shadow do more about the niggling suspicion than discourage feeding it, I wonder?

In Thunder Without Rain, the daughter thought the boy with the dead eyes couldn't see the cloud, but now it seems he can? That ... doesn't seem like a positive development. And I worry about his reaction to this.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Why didn't the lurking shadow do more about the niggling suspicion than discourage feeding it, I wonder? <<

There is always a balance of positive and negative influences in the world. The more you mess with it, the more erratic the whole system becomes. So if you can avoid a disaster simply by stepping out of the way, that's usually a good idea.

>> In Thunder Without Rain, the daughter thought the boy with the dead eyes couldn't see the cloud, but now it seems he can? That ... doesn't seem like a positive development. <<

There are two possibilities: 1) He knew about it before, but didn't show that. Given that they only interacted in public, that's plausible. 2) He may have developed the awareness later, with more exposure.

>> And I worry about his reaction to this. ... )

Re: Thoughts

[rix_scaedu]

Oh dear, worrying thought. What if he thinks the cloud is the only one who cares about him...?

Re: Thoughts

[siege]

Encouraging such a belief is one way that social predators and abusive relationships persist.

[e_scapism101]

It makes sense that he'd become attached to the dark cloud. It's what he knows, it's familiar and comfortable - when you lose that darkness it's really scary at first. When you're in a state where something like that has become normal, to be without it is jarring.

Without his darkness, he may not know what or how to be.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

The black cloud is a motif that appears across cultures and over a long period of time, primarily in visual arts but also in some stories. Thought becomes image, image becomes entity. It is, however, inherently malleable and can have different effects; consistently associated with negative mental states such as depression, sociopathy, aggression, etc. Think about the contexts in which you've seen or heard about a black cloud hovering over a character, and you'll get an idea of the range.

Also, terrifically apt icon.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

... and it may be like armor. Sometimes, what looks fucked up and dysfunctional may still be an improvement over the previous situation.

[rhodielady_47]

Let this poem be a wakeup call that there are monsters and MONSTERS in the world.
:[

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

... and a reminder that it's not always the teeth and claws that make them so.

Re: Yes...

[rhodielady_47]

Words and actions can often wound us far worse than mere teeth and claws.
Emotional abuse is the "gift" that keeps on giving.
:{

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Very true.