deepundergroundpoetry.com
~I am the Pneuma~
crescendo building,
it’s inevitable
from the first beat to pique
the small hairs in my ears;
spilling tentatively, slowly
from sleek-shiny speakers,
anticipation of the climb
is almost tangible,
curling into tendrils
above my head;
lazy, yet distinctly
predatory
in the most beguiling fashion;
my mind lays helpless
and writhing
against the sensory onslaught
coming this way;
wrists and ankles bound
at my own insistence,
ensuring I stay present
for the whole experience;
time to give me all you’ve got
~it’s why I’m here~
I’m desperate in this space;
the need to cast my unease
into the tamed chaos,
shed these garments of shame
and caress my proud countenance
with hard and silky riffs,
to find some sort of
surface-level redemption
builds momentum by the moment;
my soul needs a good flogging,
requiring penance, perhaps?
I know, as always,
here is where I’ll find it;
crisp and clear and painful
~self awareness is a bitch~
asymmetrical symphonies
the quarter notes suspended,
hesitating only briefly
before bursting,
dissipating into
the flow of the full-bodied
baritone that follows;
melodies that pull
then push,
just inside
my comfort zone,
that cerebral barrier
meant to keep you out;
there’s a message here,
undress and find your position,
you’ve got to be wide open -
naked and exposed
to grasp the truth
in the words on display,
but hey, what a ride
~if you’re brave enough~
high-pitched interludes
sting, then soothe their bite
sawing,
rowing,
undulating,
low, vibratory frequencies;
my soul sits up sleepily
and takes notice,
slowly, seductively swaying
to the sexy round strike
of slim bark to skin
stretched over steel
steady and irregular rhythms
intersecting and overlapping;
if there is such a thing as magic,
it grows in this garden
of stuttered
and unpredictable cadences
~I am mesmerized~
my spirit sinking into
its heady scent, I seek
refuge in my bones,
I am forced to face my apathy
encouraged by my empathy;
my spine slithers
into its remembered dance,
hips swaying in tandem
to the allurement of
existential query;
of hope and hope lost
~I am the Pneuma~
it’s inevitable
from the first beat to pique
the small hairs in my ears;
spilling tentatively, slowly
from sleek-shiny speakers,
anticipation of the climb
is almost tangible,
curling into tendrils
above my head;
lazy, yet distinctly
predatory
in the most beguiling fashion;
my mind lays helpless
and writhing
against the sensory onslaught
coming this way;
wrists and ankles bound
at my own insistence,
ensuring I stay present
for the whole experience;
time to give me all you’ve got
~it’s why I’m here~
I’m desperate in this space;
the need to cast my unease
into the tamed chaos,
shed these garments of shame
and caress my proud countenance
with hard and silky riffs,
to find some sort of
surface-level redemption
builds momentum by the moment;
my soul needs a good flogging,
requiring penance, perhaps?
I know, as always,
here is where I’ll find it;
crisp and clear and painful
~self awareness is a bitch~
asymmetrical symphonies
the quarter notes suspended,
hesitating only briefly
before bursting,
dissipating into
the flow of the full-bodied
baritone that follows;
melodies that pull
then push,
just inside
my comfort zone,
that cerebral barrier
meant to keep you out;
there’s a message here,
undress and find your position,
you’ve got to be wide open -
naked and exposed
to grasp the truth
in the words on display,
but hey, what a ride
~if you’re brave enough~
high-pitched interludes
sting, then soothe their bite
sawing,
rowing,
undulating,
low, vibratory frequencies;
my soul sits up sleepily
and takes notice,
slowly, seductively swaying
to the sexy round strike
of slim bark to skin
stretched over steel
steady and irregular rhythms
intersecting and overlapping;
if there is such a thing as magic,
it grows in this garden
of stuttered
and unpredictable cadences
~I am mesmerized~
my spirit sinking into
its heady scent, I seek
refuge in my bones,
I am forced to face my apathy
encouraged by my empathy;
my spine slithers
into its remembered dance,
hips swaying in tandem
to the allurement of
existential query;
of hope and hope lost
~I am the Pneuma~
Published 28th Oct 2019
| Edited 29th Oct 2019
Author's Note
Inspired by listening to Tool’s Pneuma this afternoon.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 8
reading list entries 4
comments 12
reads 452
Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
28th Oct 2019 1:11am
28th Oct 2019 1:20am
Anonymous
- Edited 28th Oct 2019 10:06am
28th Oct 2019 10:05am
I think what is interesting about this piece is if you read all of ~these lines~ together they tell their own micro-poem though the piece which is an extra dimension to consider when reading.
I love it when poems are inspired by music. Tool have so many dimensions to their music as it is so it’s interesting to see how that translates to poetry. I think you’ve done a wonderful job of climbing inside the music here.
Thank you for sharing.
-M
I love it when poems are inspired by music. Tool have so many dimensions to their music as it is so it’s interesting to see how that translates to poetry. I think you’ve done a wonderful job of climbing inside the music here.
Thank you for sharing.
-M
28th Oct 2019 11:37pm
Goodness, thank you! I am a longtime fan, and I’m just hoping I’ve done the music some justice 💜
29th Oct 2019 4:35am
Dear L,
“the need to cast my unease
into the tamed chaos,”
Really, my calling phrase of the piece. Love it.
What I so enjoyed after reading this piece was my getting lost in the idea of being taken away to another zone by my favorite music. Shedding my inhibitions and all the conventions that keep me penned in and unable to just be. Wonderful write with a lot of lyrical excitement and an awesome harmony (in my head only- I’m a terrible singer 😉).
H 🌷
“the need to cast my unease
into the tamed chaos,”
Really, my calling phrase of the piece. Love it.
What I so enjoyed after reading this piece was my getting lost in the idea of being taken away to another zone by my favorite music. Shedding my inhibitions and all the conventions that keep me penned in and unable to just be. Wonderful write with a lot of lyrical excitement and an awesome harmony (in my head only- I’m a terrible singer 😉).
H 🌷
29th Oct 2019 1:24pm
Of all the coping skills in my toolbox, the ability to completely lose myself in music has always been the most helpful. There’s nothing more cathartic than to feel the music, overwhelmingly alive, reaching into all the hidden spaces to soothe them. Thank you, Honoria 💜.
29th Oct 2019 5:22am
The way you describe the energy is really quite amazing. Been over it a few times now, admiring various aspects of it's verbiage, but more just feeling it. Electric and dynamic. It's alive and breathing.
29th Oct 2019 1:26pm
Thank you, Daniel. I’ve been incorporating my synesthesia into my work since I can remember, but I’ve often thought of what it would look like to write completely from that point of view. This comes the closest. 💜.
30th Oct 2019 1:39am
The Pneuma?
This kept my interest from beginning to end. I pictured you listening to a piece of classical music, in tune with every change in sound, tempo & mood.
This kept my interest from beginning to end. I pictured you listening to a piece of classical music, in tune with every change in sound, tempo & mood.
3rd Nov 2019 7:59pm
Anonymous
- Edited 22nd Feb 2020 10:45am
3rd Nov 2019 7:05pm
<< post removed >>
3rd Nov 2019 7:49pm
It’s a beautiful song, full of the push-and-pull I’ve come to expect from them. Thank you for reading and for the RL add 💜.
