each word dangles like a loose thread
from a well-worn sweater
I pull
it unravels
until there is just a pile of rawness
David Trudel © 2014
It’s hard, choosing to be positive
On days when feelings of melancholy sadness descend over me
Hammering negative thoughts into my mind
I’m not even talking about the bleak news of the world
Of countries torn by uncivil war
Or refugees living in squalor
And the countless heartbreaks left by natural disasters
Let alone the jackboot tactics of cynical political masters
No, it’s enough to bemoan my outcast state
Wallowing in the self-pity of the chronically alone
Wondering which cruel twist
Fate will burden me with next
I try a workout to exorcise these heavy thoughts
But no trickle of endorphins is enough to break this black spell
Even knowing that emotions are temporary and capricious
Isn’t much comfort when they are visiting
So I choose to leave these uninvited guests
And walk away to find some measure of peace in nature
Maybe I’ll hug a tree today
Since hugs are good for the soul they say
And trees run real slow
David Trudel © 2013
Filed under Poetry
Emotions can be dangerous and risky for anyone
But a poet’s emotions are the very wellspring
Of creativity and art
Brightly hued maelstroms of passion
We tend to go off the deep end of the pool
We don’t just fall in love
We do swan dives off that cliff in Acapulco
Where you have to time your leap
Waves crashing over the rocks
Or set high altitude records leaping from the edge of outer space
That’s a long way to fall
But one hell of a ride along the way
Even negative emotions like fear or anger
That philosophically you know aren’t valid
Based as they are on false assumptions
Or an incorrect assessment of the data
Sweep you up and tumble you around
Some kind of hardwired impulse drive inside your mind
Pushing every wrong button there is to push
And in the centre of your consciousness
Its like you’ve been paralyzed with some Amazonian poison
Just like in action movies
You watch it all unfold and you can’t move or even speak
You can’t unpush the buttons
So you ride it out
A thundering ride on a barely broken meanspirited bronco
Heading for the Grand Canyon
Where he’ll try to buck you off
Emotions can be dangerous
But exhilarating, too
Thrilling your senses to full alert
Mere stories made epic
Common currency made precious
So I’ll enjoy that ride
Even though I’m terrified
Some risks are worth the trouble
Some rewards are genuine
David Trudel © 2012
Filed under Poetry
Funny, isn’t it
How negative emotions
Strong feelings
Become adrenaline fueled body rushes
Which have the power to turn digits
Into wild animals that crawl over the keyboard
Like skittering scattering cockroaches
My breath gets shallow as a sports fan’s mind at playoff time
I try to regain control like a swami
But I’m no eastern mystic
Some buttons can’t be unpushed
Those cockroaches need to crawl back
To their dark corners
Before tranquility returns
David Trudel © 2012
Filed under Poetry