The fool with his sad, sweet smile | Teen Ink

The fool with his sad, sweet smile

September 25, 2010
By Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran


‘O sad, sunken man
Why do you sit upon a bed of stone?
With droplet tears sprinkled iridescent
Upon your sun kissed cheeks?’

His sorrow-dipped eyes climb an unstable ladder
From a spot in the distance
(And a window to infinity)
To meet mine own

‘Witness of my distress!’ he cries with
A tin voice that chimes a bell
‘Hear the story that I have been wound
I pray you bear my heart’s desperate sobs’

Tell me, he did, lenses glazed with nostalgia
Straw colored hair in a lovely mess
Hands’ fingers feeling the invisible being
Of his vanished history…

He told me then of his spirit
Which was gold and true and kind
Woven by the cherubs
When their countenance was aligned
But he was born with a broken tongue
And his soul never took to sail
On the charming waters of other souls
For humanity and its gale

He held his dreams of being loved
For he was a rather precious thing
But the one left behind as the songbirds took flight
He was the bird with a single wing
And so it was, the dew soaked truth
His heart was vacant, for want of a friend
Stumbling through life with three left feet
The story’s anticlimactic end

The fool looked at me with a sad, sweet smile
His stained glass face painted with prayer
I gave him back his steady gaze
Through a complex exchange of hands




He looked hopeful, for a savored moment
As if I would mercifully heal his pain
He extended his palm to me, his hope
With a thoroughly desperate mien

I?
I stalked away from the sorry soul
Leaving the fool on his bed of stone
To whimper alone in the darkness
And shiver and groan
And weep


The author's comments:
We are each the fool and his witness. It's rather sad, really.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 32 comments.


on Oct. 10 2010 at 8:54 pm
Boosflash DIAMOND, Papillion, Nebraska
55 articles 0 photos 2066 comments

Favorite Quote:
What the front door.

when i say "puppet" i, in no way, work or wonder(yeah I know) mean puppet. its more like "puppet" as in "my dear beloved, upon whom we've gazed upon with the hope of..."

on Oct. 10 2010 at 7:25 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

I'm deeply flattered, Boosflash. Indeed, your stuff is depressing; that's why I lap it up with such considerable eagerness of tongue. But I'm no one's puppet, except for a man in black named Emilio.

on Oct. 9 2010 at 11:49 pm
forbiddenxwords SILVER, Van Nuys, California
5 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Fear will never overcome you, if your will to succeed is strong enough" From "The greatest salesman"

Thats a deep answer lol (honest)

on Oct. 9 2010 at 4:17 pm
Boosflash DIAMOND, Papillion, Nebraska
55 articles 0 photos 2066 comments

Favorite Quote:
What the front door.

oh sure, puppet, "to whimper alone in the darkness and shiver and groan and weep," but my stuff is really depressing.-I love this. you're awesome captain.

on Oct. 8 2010 at 5:52 am
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

I'm inspired by the experiences I've collected: the visions and thoughts of a quiet mind, the cheerful musings of a happy spirit, and the wanderings of a tired soul. How's that for an answer?

on Oct. 8 2010 at 5:51 am
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

Thanks for your declaration of this poem's 'deepness.'

Here's my answer to your question:


on Oct. 7 2010 at 11:34 pm
forbiddenxwords SILVER, Van Nuys, California
5 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Fear will never overcome you, if your will to succeed is strong enough" From "The greatest salesman"

Wow. This is some deep writing. Can i ask what inspires you.?

on Oct. 7 2010 at 4:16 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

Did I write that line? Oh, I guess I did. Thanks for your feedback and your identification with me. :)

on Oct. 7 2010 at 9:57 am
A_shy_dove GOLD, Hubli, Other
10 articles 1 photo 76 comments

Favorite Quote:
Never compare your life with others, as you have no idea what their journey is all about.

Oh! i mean easy to relate with you as well as the man. I loved the line"his stained glass face painted with prayer".

on Oct. 7 2010 at 9:53 am
A_shy_dove GOLD, Hubli, Other
10 articles 1 photo 76 comments

Favorite Quote:
Never compare your life with others, as you have no idea what their journey is all about.

This character reminds me of my previous short period of distress. You have created the poem very well and is easy to relate with.

on Oct. 6 2010 at 7:54 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
"il piu nell' uno," (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" ~Emily Dickinson

"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain"
~Kahlil Gibran

Danke for reading, my dear. When I wrote the last stanza (!), I felt like crying. I felt like I had committed a personal wrong against this fictional character... this nonexistant being...

this fool.


on Oct. 6 2010 at 7:29 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity.
~Amoniel

"Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'"
~Thesilentraven

The last stanza (?) is particularily beautiful and moving.