There had once been passion, in the den of their hearts.
Once, a blaze that could never depart.
Once, a song that would always be sung.
Once, a body that would never be hung.
They once had a courage that would be foretold,
Of strength and a yearning that would never grow old.
Of a light and a longing to only provide,
The needs of their loved ones, the list always wide.
They once had a drive that would drive them to dream,
Once had a soul free of their schemes.
They once had a name and a heart and a mind.
But once in their grasp, they could only be blind.
They once thought that maybe, what they had wasn’t right.
But they said it was wrong, not to humour such plight.
Their memory fades, they must be all wrong,
And only they’ll love them and still sing their song.
Explanation:
I think at its core, I really wanted to write a poem exploring the effect of toxic relationships. It was to be about a loss of oneself, and the internal monster that would be left in its place. Every thought an echo of what the toxic partner/person/parent would say, every moment of questioning dismissed and belittled.
The strongest points of this piece are probably the repetition and metaphors. They allude to a love that was so strong it could be described in many ways, and a person with more to them before they met the person who drains them of themselves throughout their time together.
The repetition of Once is used to draw attention to that which they feel is no longer there. Perhaps it was the love they used to have. Perhaps it was their independence. Perhaps it was themselves. Perhaps it was all of those and more.