Delirium
In shadows thick with espionage,
A villain whispers in the dark
Lurking thoughts that fight for space,
Like ancient fire, they leave their mark.
A fighter stands, weary, but strong,
Heart split between wrong and right,
Her hands tremble with the weight of wrong,
As chaos turns day into night.
Delirium dances in her head,
A twisted waltz of fear and shame,
The line between truth and lies is dead,
A storm of doubt, a flickering flame.
She grasps for sanity, slips again,
The villain’s voice echoes vice,
But in the depths, a fighter’s pen,
Writes her truth amidst the lies.
Each thought a battle, fierce, unkind,
Yet through the fog, a voice rings clear
Good rises in a fractured mind,
A flicker of light that will not fear.
@ZenArashi Beautifully written. I enjoyed how it touches different sides of the mind as a I have been through this personally: inch be inch.
@FuzzySimba
Fuzzy, thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot to hear that it resonated with you, especially since you’ve been through something similar. Ohana.
@ZenArashi This poem captures the haunting beauty of inner battles so vividly. The imagery of - delirium as a twisted waltz - is both chilling and poetic. I love how the fighter’s strength is woven through every stanza—not in perfection, but in persistence. The line "Writes her truth amidst the lies" stands out—it's a quiet yet powerful rebellion against the villain within. It's a sentiment so many of us can relate to—the act of reclaiming one's truth, even when doubt tries to rewrite it.
What strikes me most is how the thread of resilience and hope runs through all your poems—a reflection, I believe, of your own courageous and optimistic spirit. I know it comes from a place shaped by both light and shadow, and I deeply respect and admire you for it.
Thank you, Zen Arashi, for sharing such raw, evocative words!
@azurePond
Azure, thank you for your insightful feedback. It took me awhile to come up with this piece but even when things aren’t perfect, I thought finishing this would be my voice on overcoming setbacks with resilience and hope. I’m pleased you pick up those themes in almost all my poems. To me, it’s a reminder that even in the shadowy moments, there’s always light to be found. ✨
@ZenArashi That's such a beautiful sentiment! Your poems always carry that quiet strength — like little lanterns flickering in the dark. I'm glad you chose to finish this one - it's a testament to resilience... and that's the most powerful kind of art. ✨
@ZenArashi
A very evocative poem you have crafted there. It feels like a departure from your usual style and has a tension that is absent from the other poems you have shared. It feels much more pressurised, as if written under duress.
There is a frenetic energy running through it, with fantastic imagery such as the 'twisted waltz', 'ancient fire', 'storm of doubt', and 'Each thought a battle'. Its violent, dark energy contrasts so wonderfully with the elements suggesting fog, weariness, and shadows. Fugue being battered by angry and insistent forces. Throughout we are reminded how much this struggle is costing; "A fighter stand, weary but strong", "Her hands tremble with the weight of wrong", and "She grasps for sanity, slips again". Powerful and emotive, and so much more urgently intense than the measured and reflective tones of your other poetry.
The last stanza still has that ZenArashi signature push for hope and resilience, but it feels more under attack. It does not have the upbeat turn, that change in direction pushing us gently towards the light that we have seen in your other work. Rather it feels like a hand reaching out from the rushing waters.
It is a very strong poem. I do hope you are okay (One hopes this is just art, and not reflective of how you might actually be feeling. But if it is....sending you fluffy-comfort vibes to give you a little buoyance when floating along whatever stream you are floating down).
@BastionKnight
The way you picked up on the frenetic energy and contrasts in this poem is humbling as you can detect the pattern of my poems. I’ve been working through a lot of that tension personally, and it’s wild to see how it translated into the poem. I was going through my own inner storm and that type of chaos is what I wanted to portray, where you’re battling yourself, and it’s exhausting but also strangely necessary in some way.
It means a lot that you noticed how the final stanza still has that little spark of hope, even though it’s not as uplifting as in my other work. I think I wanted to show that even in the darkest moments, that sliver of hope still has to exist, but it’s not always easy to reach. It’s more like you’re grabbing onto it with everything you’ve got.
I appreciate the support and kindness you have given me. Thank you.