Still Feel

By RD

People say I don’t care about anything but myself
But tell me, if you’ve been caged in like an animal,
How long would you stay yourself?

Me, I am still the same
I’ve just adjusted to my circumstances
I can’t be distracted, I can’t be distressed
I can’t take any chances

I have to survive
I have to concentrate
I am my only protection

You come where I’m at
And have your mind outside while your body is in
And see if you don’t learn your lesson
I still feel, I still care
I just learned how to conceal it to a perfection

Am I still the same, yes
But I’ve grown older
But this struggle I’m in…
You have to stay focused
You have to be a soldier

I still love, I still care
I just have a lot on my shoulders

1 Comments

  1. Maggie on May 27, 2014 at 7:03 PM

    RD – this poem really touched me in a literary way and a more personal one. First of all, I think you’re doing some great things with rhythm and rhyme (especially off-rhymes like protection and perfection). I also really appreciate the progression in the second stanza from circumstances to distracted to distressed to chances. It’s a progression that starts hard (all the harder sounds in the first words) and ends with a soft, more hopeful word/sound, and it’s a very sophisticated technique. I think this would be a great poem for reading out loud.

    From a more personal point of view, I think you’ve described the need to hide your feelings in order to survive really well. I haven’t been in your position, but because of this poem I’m able to reflect on events in my own life (serious illness in my case) in a new way. You’ve accomplished one of the most difficult things in art/writing – you’ve made a situation that’s personal to you universal in a way that helps the reader understand his/her life in a new, more thoughtful light, and also lets the reader learn about and feel moved by your circumstances.

    Wonderful work! Keep writing!

    Reply

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